Loners
by afaithfulwriter890
Summary: "There will be four. One, kin of the chosen. One, kin of the mountain. Two, kin of shadows. Four will depart, one will return. One shall perish, one shall live, and one shall find his place." This prophecy was given by StarClan in regards to select group of young cats, kin of the ones who liberated SkyClan from the rogues. Now, it's time to tell their story. Sequel to "Rogue".
1. Part 1: Prologue & Allegiances

_Loners - Part 1: Prologue & Allegiances_

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**Heyyyyy. This is my much better story, and sequel to "Rogue". This deals with Froststar's offspring, as well as the kits of other major characters in the first book. We also get a variety of new characters as well.**

**I don't own Warriors.**

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**¤Allegiances¤**

**SkyClan**

Leader: Froststar- pretty white she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Crescentmoon- beautiful cream-colored she-cat

Medicine Cat: Noonshine- pretty creamy ginger-colored she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Apprentice; Paw- small pinkish-brown she-cat with innocent amber eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits):

Thistlenose- pale gray, almost white tom with blue eyes

Jaggedrock- dark gray tom

Crystaleyes- snow-white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice; Darkpaw

Cindertail- longhaired gray tom with green eyes

Fawnflight- pretty light brown she-cat with white legs, chest, and underbelly

Midnightclaw- jet-black she-cat with ice-blue eyes

Wolfwind- gray tom with a white underbelly and paws with pale yellow eyes

Jaguarclaw- unusually spotted golden tabby tom with black spots on his ears, eyes and the rest of his body

Whitefur- longhaired white tom

Apprentice; Ravenpaw

Climbingpelt- small white she-cat with green eyes

Airtail- light gray she-cat with a white underbelly and paws

Breezemoon- small black tomcat with green eyes

Apprentice; Peachpaw

Darrin- light brown tabby tom with white paws and tail

Toby- handsome sandy-brown tom with dark amber eyes

Autumn- pretty dark tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Kara (pronounced Car-a)- pretty cream-colored she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Charlotte- pretty ginger tabby she-cat with white paws

Patrick- dusty-brown tom with amber eyes and a white dash on his forehead

Chris- small, mottled black tom

Sydney- brown tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes and a white-tipped tail

Candy- small creamy white she-cat

Gethin- large bronze tom with emerald green eyes and a long scar that stretches from his shoulder to the base of his tail

Baderleg - a small pale gray tomcat

Mouseclaw- tortoiseshell tom

Snowfire- small white she-cat

Stripeclaw- brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Lavendermoon- bluish gray she-cat

Sunblaze- ginger tomcat

Apprentices: (cats over six moons in training to become warriors)

Vinepaw- brown tabby tom with white paws

Peachpaw- cream colored she-kit

Darkpaw- dark ginger, almost brown she-cat with blue eyes; daughter of Noonshine and Patrick

Ravenpaw- black tomcat with a white dash on his chest; son of Noonshine and Patrick

Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Darkbreeze- pretty dark tabby she-cat

Morningflame- dark tortoiseshell she-cat; mother of Shortbreath's kits: Icekit (white she-cat), Firekit (ginger she-cat) and Lichenkit (mottled brown tom)

Mountainrain- brown tabby she-cat; mother of Cindertail's kits: Graykit (gray tom) and Bramblekit (brown tom)

Faithfulheart- beautiful light gray she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Gethin's kits: Streamkit (silver tabby) and Wolfkit (gray tom)

Elders: (former warriors and queens now retired)

Peelfur- ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Barbedclaw- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Shortbreath- pale gray (with darker flecks) tabby tom with bright blue eyes; loses breath quick

**Tribe of Falling Shards**

Tribe-Healer: Smoke of Twilight Flame (Smoketeller)- deep gray pelt spattered with lighter shades of silver, black paws and tail tip, with white chest markings and a blaze on her nose and vibrant green eyes; has two notches on her left ear and the tip of her tail is missing

Prey-Hunters:

Sun that Shines in Darkness (Sunshine)- bright ginger she-cat with topaz-colored eyes and one white paw

Ripples in Mountain Stream (Ripples)- dark gray tabby tom with ice-blue eyes

Moon that Rises at Dawn (Moon)- ghostly white she-cat with dark amber eyes and one ginger ear

Tree of Singing Jay (Tree)- mottled brown she-cat with emerald green eyes

Cave-Guards:

Shadow of Sharp Cliff (Shadow)- pitch-black tom with one small smudge of gray fur along the spine with amber eyes

Boulder That Falls from Ledge (Boulder)- pale, silvery gray tom with piercing blue eyes

Sun that Goes Black during the Day (Sun)- fluffy ginger tom and bright amber eyes

Fang that Glints in Light (Fang)- mottled gray tom with blue eyes

Kit-Mothers:

Glen where Fawn Sleeps (Glen)- light brown she-cay with slightly darker stripes; mother of Shadow of Sharp Cliff's kits: Path to Distant Mountain (Path) and Moon Rising at Night (Moon)

Jaguar that Lurks in Jungle (Jaguar)- golden tabby she-cat with black spots that gives her a leopard-like appearance; mother of Boulder That Falls from Ledge's kits: Kestrel that Chirps on Brach (Kestrel), Lagoon Hidden in Woods (Lagoon) and Mint that Grows in Cold Season (Mint)

Orchid that Blooms in New Leaf (Orchid)- beautiful pinkish-ginger she-cat; mother of Ripples in Mountain Stream's kits: Icicle Hanging from Ledge (Icicle) and Quartz from Dark Cave (Quartz)

To-Bes:

Fury in the Night (Fury)- black tom with flecks of red and ginger in his fur

Flame that Burns in Darkness (Flame)- bright ginger tom with deep blue eyes

Fawn that Leaps in Joy (Fawn)- light brown tabby she-cat with white patches and blue eyes

Aspen with No Leaves (Aspen)- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Elders:

Clover that Dies in Green-Leaf (Clover)- white tom with black patches and pale yellow eyes

Eel that Slips though Paws (Eel)- old mottled brown tabby tom with green eyes

Hickory Whose Trunk Was Left Behind (Hickory)- pale brown tom with blue eyes.

**Tribe of Tangled Bracken**

Tribe-Healer: Teller of the Tangle Bracken (Brakenteller)- large ginger tom with long whiskers and green eyes

Prey-Hunters:

Fox that Hunts in Nightly Shadows (Fox)- reddish tabby she-cat with white paws, underbelly, muzzle and tail tip with orange eyes

Night of Falling Stars (Night)- jet black tomcat with white spots that fade into his fur and dark amber eyes

Wolf that Never Howls (Wolf)- light gray tom with darker stripes and green eyes

Frost that Shimmers in Sunlight (Frost)- pure white she-cat with shocking blue eyes

Cave Guards:

Arched-Back of Angry Tom (Arch)- small ginger tomcat with amber eyes

Song of Flowing River (Song)- dark gray, almost bluish she-cat with amber eyes

Tree that Sways in Breeze (Tree)- brown tom with white speckles and green eyes

Egg that Was Left in Nest (Egg)- young white tom with pale yellow eyes

Kit-Mothers:

Rain that Rattles the Rocks (Rain)- pretty white she-cat with amber eyes; mother of Arched Back of Angry Tom's kits: Sage that Sees the Future (Sage), Salmon that Jumps from Stream to Stream (Salmon) and Russet-Colored Moon in Leaf-fall (Russet)

Shale from Mountain Gorge (Shale)- dark gray she-cat with ice-blue eyes; mother of Night of Falling Star's kits: Shower of Cold Water (Shower) and Thistle that Spikes the Enemy (Thistle)

Viper that Strikes With Force (Viper)- brown tabby she-cat with darker stripes and green eyes; mother of Tree that Sways in Breeze's kit: Wave that Floods River (Wave)

To-Bes:

Stream Where Pebble Shines (Stream)- dark blue-gray she-cat with bright green eyes.

Rush of Flowing River (Rush)- fiery orange tom with white patches and sky-blue eyes

Zinnia that Blooms in Snow (Zinnia)- pinkish-cream-colored she-cat with opaque-blue eyes

Sky of Many Colors (Sky)- silvery gray she-cat with piercing blue eyes and white underbelly and paws

Elders:

Smoke that Settles in Snow (Smoke)- smoky gray tom with green eyes and one white ear

Hare that Moves with Speed (Hare)- light, dusty-brown tom with a white underbelly and amber eyes

**Rogues**

Edward- black tomcat with light amber eyes

Marty- small ginger tom with green eyes and half his tail missing

Sadie- pretty cream-colored she-cat

Puff- cute white she-kit with blue eyes; deaf

**Loners**

Benjamin- white tomcat with black patches and green eyes

Blackie- longhaired black she-cat with vibrant green eyes

Laura- brown tabby she-cat with one white ear

**Kittypets**

Jerri- medium length snow-white fur with blue eyes; has a disease and will die in a few seasons

Lincoln- old brown tabby tom with amber eyes; Jerri's neighbor

**Shadow Band**

Alpha: Cloud- large white tom with piercing blue eyes and a black paw

Beta: Red- medium-haired russet-colored tomcat with amber eyes

Claws: (like warriors)

Magma- dark ginger, almost red she-cat with blue eyes; missing one ear

Talon- sandy-colored tom with black patches

Glow- large white longhaired tom with green eyes

Beech- pale gray tomcat with brown eyes

Hawk- golden-brown tabby tom with bright amber eyes

Sniffers: (trackers and hunters)

Dawn- sandy-brown she-cat with vibrant green eyes

Ghost- ghostly white tomcat with a long fang on the left side and a v-shaped ear

Dodger- large brown tom with black patches and big pale yellow eyes

Teachers:

Water- pale gray she-cat with ice-blue eyes

Pea- small pinkish-cream-colored she-cat with violet eyes

Bramble- dark brown tabby tom cat

Learners:

Slash- longhaired, solid gray tom with green eyes

Raccoon- gray tom with dark, black stripes and a mask-like coloration on his face and pale yellow eyes

Primrose- pretty dark reddish she-cat with a pinkish tint to her fur

Matriarchs:

Cheetah- ginger she-cat with black spots and green eyes; mother of Talon's kits: Oyster (black tom) Newt (ginger tabby tom) and Mud (longhaired, solid brown tom)

Pearl- creamy-colored she-cat; mother of Dodger's kits: Monarch (pretty golden tabby she-cat) and Lotus (pale ginger she-cat)

Lichen- dark brown tabby she-cat; mother of Red's kit: Khaki (light brown tabby tom with white paws and underbelly and muzzle)

Past Ones:

Indigo- midnight-black tom with a white dash on his chest

Hurricane- gray tom

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**Part I**

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**Prologue**

A brown and white she-cat sat on a ledge overlooking a gorge. She gazed down inside and saw a white she-cat sitting on a large pile of rocks near a river. The brown and white she-cat sighed.

"What are you thinking, Leafstar?" a voice inquired from behind her.

The she-cat turned to see her old Clan-mate. The dark brown tabby tom stood with long, unsheathed claws. He was broad-shouldered and was missing the tip of his tail. There was a v-shaped mark in his ear from all of his battles.

"I don't quite know yet, Sharpstar," she replied and looked around at the land she once called home. "Noonshine received the prophecy only three moons ago…"

"Leafstar, it's green-leaf now. The chosen four should have left in mid new-leaf. You know as well as I do that the prophecy is late… unless of course there was a mistake," he mewed suggestively.

"Are you accusing Moonstar of lying?" the former SkyClan leader asked, appalled. "She is as loyal as any of us! I would trust her with my life. I know times are dark but honestly, this is what you're accusing our own kin of?!"

"They've done it before," Sharpstar reminded darkly. "Besides, you saw how she acted toward the previous chosen one… Who's to say that she could not do so again? She is a jealous cat."

Leafstar curled her lips back in a snarl. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Not jealous enough to stoop so low. Faking a prophecy would put lives at danger, even ours! It would only give those Dark Forest demons more power! Now that Tigerstorm is in existence there, who knows what will happen?!"

"All the more reason to be suspicious," Sharpstar murmured. "If she is a traitor, I'll—"

"What?" Leafstar demanded. "What will you do? Destroy her spirit? Condemn her to oblivion? That's a nice plan. We'll lose a valuable ally."

"We'll lose a weakling," he muttered. "We'd be better off without her feather-brained predictions."

"Every cat counts, especially now, Sharpstar. The Dark Forest would be thrilled to see us fighting amongst ourselves! We have to stay united," she insisted.

"You and your 'united,'" he scoffed. "You're always trusting everyone."

"Sharpstar, I haven't had an argument with you like this since you kept going on and on about daylight-warriors!" she snarled in disbelief. "You're a total hypocrite. There were times that I couldn't trust you! Must I remind you about sneaking into the Twolegplace in the dead of night?!"

Sharpstar lashed his tail in annoyance. "Oh Leafstar, just stop it!"

"No; you stop it!"

"Would the both of you shut up?!" a familiar voice snarled from father down the gorge. Both cats turned to see a mottled light brown tabby she-cat with speckled legs. She bounded slowly forward. "Honestly, I could hear you two bickering for eons away.

Sharpclaw growled lowly in his throat. "And what honor do we have to be graced by your presence?" he growled through clenched teeth.

Leafstar shot her former deputy a cold look and turned back to the she-cat. "What brings you here Frecklewish?" she queried kindly.

Frecklewish's ears twitched along with her muzzle. "Your doubts of Moonstar's false prophecy are false. The prophecy is very true… very true indeed."

"What have you seen?" Leafstar urged. She knew that her friend sometimes received visions of the future now that she was a StarClan member.

"Many things… many blurry… I could not see faces, but I knew they were Clan cats. Someone doesn't want us to know who are these chosen four… but they will leave the Clan and the territory—"

"Leave the territory?!" Sharpstar snarled in disbelief. "What feather-brain is stupid enough to leave the territory. No one dares go farther that the two Thunderpaths about a sky-length away!"

"Cats hate to admit it, but they aren't scared of dogs as much as they're scared of what the chosen four are about to face," Frecklewish meowed, her eyes gazing into something in the distance, maybe at nothing at all.

"What will they face?" Leafstar asked apprehensively.

"The unknown."

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A/N: Review?


	2. Part 1: Chapter 1

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 1_

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**Chapter I - Stripeclaw**

**Kits, Mentors, and Badgers**

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"Stripeclaw! Heads up!" a small, playful voice piped.

I looked around started as dead mouse flew into my paws. I saw that there were claw marks cutting through the prey so it couldn't be eaten. I looked up and saw Faithfulheart's kits bounding toward me. Both kits were growing and healthy but they were still fairly young.

"Can you give the mouse to us?" Streamkit asked. Her bright blue eyes were glinting with happiness. Her silver tabby pelt shimmered in the sunlight as my own was shaded under a rock ledge near the nursery. "We're gonna hide it in Barbedclaw's nest!"

As Streamkit came forward to take it, I swatted the mouse into my chest. "You will do no such thing. Barbedclaw is a noble warrior that protected this Clan. If it weren't for him, you might not exist. SkyClan might not exist!" I exaggerated. The kits had no respect for their elders. Faithfulheart couldn't tell them because of her medical issue and Gethin could honestly care less about the elders.

"Stripeclaw, can you tell us a story?" her brother Wolfkit piped up. His long gray fur was shaggy like a dogs and he had vibrant green eyes like his father's.

I let out a sigh. "Okay but it has to be a short one. I have to go out on a patrol at sunhigh."

Streamkit and Wolfkit scrambled in the space between my chest where the mouse was and my forepaws. I sighed as I gazed down on them—their eyes bright and vigilant, their fur shining with youth. I know it was stupid to count myself out of the youth category. I'd only been a warrior for three moons. New-leaf had come and gone and green-leaf is just beginning. I had a feeling that just before leaf-fall, those two would be made apprentices.

"What do you want to hear?" I asked stifling a yawn.

As the yawn found its way out, I heard a jumble of answers. I shook my head as I finished yawning. "One at a time," I insisted. "I only have two ears."

"One for each of us!" Streamkit giggled.

I rolled my eyes. Streamkit climbed onto my back and flopped down. The tiny kit was nearly buried in my fluffy fur. She somehow climbed her way onto my head so she was between my ears. "I want to hear about Tigerstorm!" she nearly yowled.

All eyes landed on the three of us. Froststar and Toby, my mother and father, who sat near Rockpile looked toward me. My father narrowed his eyes while my mother remained impassive. I felt my pelt grow hot. "Streamkit, keep your voice down," I scolded. I hated unnessicary attention. That was probably my biggest dislike.

Streamkit pouted on my head. "But I want to learn about him! I hear the queens talk about him sometimes. Who is he?" she asked. She tumbled off my head and down into the dirt after misplacing her paws when she had attempted to step on my muzzle.

After nudging her to her paws, I made both of the raucous kits sit. "Now, both of you—listen to me. Tigerstorm was not a good cat. He nearly destroyed SkyClan and we don't like to talk about it. It was little more than just seasons ago. I was an apprentice when it all happened. You kits don't need to worry about that. He's dead now and won't bother us anymore."

Wolfkit nodded but Streamkit continued to look curious. "How'd he try to kill us?" she asked, her blue eyes shining with curiosity.

I let out a sigh. I knew she wouldn't give up. She wanted to know and I guess she did have a right. After Tigerstorm had been killed my mother said that what was done was done. There was nothing left to be done. He was dead and nothing else had to be said about the matter. I knew that Tigerstorm had killed her original mate as well as her first son.

The idea of my mother having another son always made me jealous. I know it's pointless, but I couldn't help but wonder if she wished that he was alive instead of me. I wasn't well-liked in our Clan. Neither was my sister, Snowfire. It wasn't until I was older that I learned why. They didn't think I was good enough to be in the Clan. Some cats were fine with it when my father and the rest of our band joined SkyClan since my mother saved them all. Then again, some were still prejudice to us. Because we didn't have 'warrior blood' we weren't worthy to live in this Clan.

My mother said to ignore them. More than half of the Clan didn't have warrior blood and not just the cats that had been former loners and rogues. Midnightclaw had been a former daylight-warrior and she judged me! As I got older, I saw things differently. They were all hypocrites.

Isn't there anyone else you could annoy? Family? Friends? Poisonous reptiles? I thought to myself. Not that I wanted the kits to get killed, but if I could just catch a quick nap before my patrol…

"Stripeclaw!"

I looked up as a reflex reaction to my name. It certainly wasn't a kit's voice that called me. I searched the gorge to find my caller. "Stripeclaw!" they called again. I finally saw my mother sitting near Rockpile, her eyes fixed squarely on me. She flicked her tail toward herself, indicating for me to come over.

Sighing, I rose to my paws. "Where're you going Stripeclaw?" Streamkit asked.

"To talk to Froststar," I meowed and padded off to meet my mother.

Froststar sat next to Rockpile, her ears angled toward Jaggedrock as he gave her the daily report for the patrols.

When the senior warrior had finished, I began. "You wanted to see me?" I reminded her carefully.

Froststar nodded. "I heard about the kits asking you about Tigerstorm," she meowed, eyeing me with her famous glare

Mouse-dung.

"I didn't tell them anything," I promised, wondering what my face looked like to her. I tried to remain calm and keep a poker face, but on the inside, my heart was hammering. I had already gotten into enough trouble in the last week. First, I challenged Darkpaw to who could jump the farthest and she fell and sprained her paw. Second, since the apprentices' assessments were going on, it was the new warriors' jobs to change the elders' bedding and I forgot. Now this.

Froststar stared at me for a minute then dipped her head. "Very well. Just watch yourself. You know how the other warriors are. By the way, I think Gethin was looking for you. He was headed out of camp toward Skyrock last I heard."

Great. "Okay I'll go check it out," I said thoughtfully.

Oh how I loved my talks with Gethin. Each one had a 'moral.' He kept saying that it was so I didn't make the same mistakes he did. Of course he never mentioned those mistakes which always irked me. I only knew him as the cat that killed the alpha wolf in the pack that tried to kill us. He was good friends with my mother, which I knew my father despised secretly. He and Darrin too had their suspicions about Froststar and Gethin. I knew nothing would ever 'go on' between them, but they were extremely paranoid. Darrin wasn't even with her.

I padded up the path that led up and out of the gorge and over toward Skyrock. This had turned into our 'meeting spot' since Gethin liked this spot the best because of the scenic view of the camp and the river.

It wasn't long before I reached the oldish bronze tomcat. He sat his back to the forest, his head angled up at the sun that had just reached its highest point. So much for my patrol, I thought irritably. Does he have no respect for duties?

Dismally, I stalked up to him and plopped down carelessly beside him. His eyes were closed. As I plopped down, I saw his ear twitch—with what? Irritation? I smirked secretly. I was glad I annoyed the old badger-brain.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked with false respect.

Gethin dipped his head and opened his emerald green eyes that seemed to stun every she-cat in the Clan. I resisted the urge to gag. He turned his head toward me. "Stripeclaw, do you want to be a warrior?" he inquired gently.

The question took me by surprise. What did he mean 'do I want to be a warrior'? Of course I want to be a warrior! Did he have clouds for brains?! A deeper more… eh… intricate side of me came out in a way. Had he been watching me? Seeing some flaws in my young warrior-ship that could be fixed? Did he think that I was unenthusiastic about my duties?

A part of me figured that that hypothesis was right. I secretly didn't find being a warrior all that fun. The only thing you did really is hunt. There was barely ever any action. The only thing we might have is an occasional fox wander into the territory but they rarely came near the camp. All the action happened when I was just a kit and I missed it all. I had heard all these epic, heroic tales about my mother fighting off a pack of dogs along with Gethin and killing Tigerstorm—the main threat to SkyClan's existence, but now… Things were… well… boring.

"What do you mean?" I asked as if I didn't get it.

"Are you disappointed with the way things turned out for you?"

Mouse-dung. "No. Of course not. Serving my Clan has been an honor," I lied. I was good at lying. I had to be.

"Don't give me that mouse-dung," he hissed with such harshness, I flinched. "But I feel for you and I understand that—"

"Don't patronize me old-timer," I growled, rising to my paws. "Just get off my back and keep out of my way!" Without waiting for another word, or to gaze at his astonished face, I turned and pelted off into the trees, muttering to myself.

I found myself heading back to camp. I slowed when I reached the entrance, fury still hot on my pelt. Did he think I was weak or something? Still just a kit that had their dreams crushed? I wasn't some helpless kit or confused apprentice. I was a warrior dammit and I wanted to be treated like one.

As I padded down into camp, I was caught by Crescentmoon. "Stripeclaw!" She sounded relieved. "Thank StarClan you're back. We need someone to guard the camp entrance," she explained.

From what exactly? "I'll do it," I said nonchalantly. "Where are all the others?"

"On patrol," the middle-aged female deputy replied. "You were late."

Dammit Gethin. "Yeah, sorry. Gethin wanted to see me. My mother told me to go see him," I said. And it was true. My mother had messed it up this time.

"It's fine," Crescentmoon meowed. Of course it is when my mother's involved. Crescentmoon follows her blindly after what happened with Tigerstorm since he was Crescentmoon's mate. I found that completely idiotic. "Just guard the entrance will you?"

I nodded and retraced my steps back up the path to the camp entrance and gazed around impassively. Paw and Noonshine were outside the elders' den speaking with Peelfur, who appeared to be coughing. Lavendermoon and her brother, Sunblaze sat by the fresh-kill pile, sharing tongues. Why couldn't they guard the camp? I kept my gaze focused on Lavendermoon for a moment. She was beautiful, her pale bluish-gray pelt seemed to shine lavender in the sunlight. Long ago, I promised the one day, she would be my mate. She barely noticed me. Fantastic way to start a relationship, right?

"Stripeclaw," a familiar voice mewed from beside me, making me jump.

I whipped my head sideways, making my eyes hurt from the whirling vision. They settled on a pure white she-cat with bright blue eyes just like our mother's. "Hi Snowfire," I greeted my sister.

"Scared you did I?" she giggled.

My eyes rolled. "Please don't act like a kit," I muttered. Snowfire had always been the cheerful, happy-go-lucky one of us. She was kind and trusting to all, which made her weak. She was too trusting in my opinion. Then again, who would betray us? We lived in a perfect world with no flaws… No action…

"Fine then," she mewed trying to sound insulted. "Someone has their fur ruffled."

"You got that right," I replied irritated. "Don't you have some kits to entertain? Like Faithfulheart's kits that won't leave me alone?"

Snowfire's whiskers twitched in amusement. "All right Stripes," she purred.

I flattened my ears against my head in annoyance. I hated it when cats called me by my given name. Stripes was a kittypet name for weak cats that never left their gardens or whatever they called those fenced in areas. Never progressing in their lives, never finding love, never having adventure, just existing. Having Twolegs make all your decisions for you…

Returning my gaze to the camp, I yawned. What was really the point of all this? Watching and guarding when nothing would ever happen. I could've been hunting. Actually doing a service for the Clan.

That's when I got the idea. Nothing was going to happen, so what would be the harm in going hunting for a bit? Would anyone really notice my absence? Quietly, I turned and left the camp.

I padded out into the forest. The sweet scents of the green-leaf season swarmed around me. A thrush trilled a dynamic song as I padded along. I opened my mouth to detect any scents of prey and one scent in particular caught my attention—rabbit.

Crouching low in the grass so my belly fur brushed against it, I inched forward carefully, my tail elevated slightly so it wouldn't rustle any leaves on the ground. I then saw the rabbit. It's brown fur trembled with its breathing as it nibbled on some grass. I crouched lower, trying to keep downwind.

Just as I was about to spring, a yowl from nearby split the air. The rabbit's head raised in alarm as did my own. I looked over my shoulder, when I looked back, the rabbit was already pelting to the safety of its warren. Swearing, I rose to my paws. "What in the name of the Dark Forest…" I muttered.

Then I made out what the voice was saying. "BADGERS IN THE CAMP!"

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A/N: Review?


	3. Part 1: Chapter 2

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 2_

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**I don't own Warriors. **

**Sorry I didn't post the disclaimer in the previous chapter.**

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**Chapter II- Stripeclaw**

**Battle Fury and Funeral Blues**

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Pelting as fast as I could, I made it back to camp. I saw that there were two large badgers closing in on the nursery. Faithfulheart and Mountainrain were outside the nursery, their lips curled back in snarls. Lavendermoon and Sunblaze were closing in on them from the sides with Froststar and Toby cornered them on the other.

I sprinted down the camp. Streamkit and Wolfkit were in the nursery. No matter how much they annoyed me, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to them because of me. They were only innocent kits with lives to live!

As I neared the scene, there was a flash of white. The next thing I saw was that my sister had leaped onto one of the badger's back. She snarled in fury and sank her claws deep into the rough flesh of its shoulder blade. Froststar jumped onto the other's flank and bit in deep. She pulled away taking a large chunk of flesh with her while Toby nipped at its heels. Faithfulheart clawed the badger Snowfire was on. She raked her claws across its muzzle with a silent snarl of fury.

I too rushed the creature, sinking my own claws into its rump making it howl in pain and surprise. The other badger threw my mother off sending her sliding into the nursery wall. Toby tried to leap on its back, but its back paw kicked him off. It turned and secured its jaws around my sister's lithe shape. She yowled in pain as the badger drug her off its companion, its malevolent yellow teeth sinking deeper and deeper into her body with each thrash.

Letting out a caterwaul of fury, I ran toward it, jumping right onto the side of its head. I clawed at its ears, eyes and nose. It dropped Snowfire leaving her soaked in blood on the dusty earth. It averted its attention to myself. I reigned back from it, my claws unsheathed and ready to kill. I inherited my intense fury from my mother.

The badger let out a disoriented snarl. The one that Snowfire had been attacking was being swarmed with other cats. Faithfulheart and Mountainrain clawed at its head avoiding its snapping jaws. Darrin's patrol had returned. He, Whitefur, Jaguarclaw and Whitefur's apprentice Ravenpaw attacked it without mercy. Toby was hovering over my mother near the nursery. Noonshine was also with her.

Fury overwhelmed me. My mother and sister were hurt because of these two monsters. Snarling, I stalked toward the one I was nearest to. The badger returned the snarl and swiped a paw at my but I dodged quickly and secured my own fangs around his foreleg. Hissing in rage, the badger backed up rearing slightly. Letting go of its leg, I darted underneath it and raked my claws along its soft belly. It fell, crushing my beneath it. I heard something snap and I yowled in pain as my shoulder dislocated. The badger hauled itself off my after playing dead. It turned around, growling at my.

I tried to pull myself to my paws to fight, but the pain in my shoulder was so intense, I couldn't. Searing pain shot through me. It felt like my shoulder was being pressed against hot lead whenever I moved. Yowling silently, the pain to horrible to scream over, I rolled over to my good side. I looked up at the badger that stood looking triumphant. I had lost. My mother was injured, my sister probably dead and my shoulder broken. The worst part was—it was all my fault. If I hadn't left the camp…

Darrin's patrol had managed to drive the other badger out of camp. They started to focus on the one that I had fought and it fled after seeing it was outnumbered.

Noonshine's apprentice, Paw, was quickly at my side. She felt around my body trying to feel for any injuries. When she put a paw on my shoulder, I yelped.

She winced. "Sorry," she apologized. "Noonshine!" she called her mentor over.

Noonshine came over from looking at a wound on Darrin's shoulder and looked at my own. She felt it. I yelped. "It's dislocated. He's lucky it's not broken. I'll have to snap it back in place."

I gulped. I didn't like the sound of that one bit. Noonshine put one paw where my shoulder blade had gone and one right above where it should be. Paw, thinking, gave me a tree root to bite down on. I took it in my jaws and waited for the searing pain. With a swift movement, Noonshine shifted her paws snapping my shoulder blade back in place. I chomped down on the tree root, the pain doubling. It now shot up my neck right to my head.

"Is he okay?" I heard Gethin's voice asked from beside me (my eyes were clamped shut in pain).

My eyes snapped open. Where had he been during this fray? The might wolf-slayer returns after the action. How astounding. He surprises us all again.

"He'll be fine Gethin," Noonshine assured him. "He's just in a lot of pain right now. Leave him to rest."

I heard Gethin sigh and the thudding of his paws faded as he left. I opened my eyes and looked up at Paw. Paw looked down at me. "You need help getting to the medicine cat den?" she inquired.

I was about to object when I remembered something. "My sister…" I whispered. My voice was barely audible. I had dreaded this question. Pushed it away. Ignored it… How could I live with myself if my own sister died because of my negligence?

Paw looked at her paws. "Stripeclaw…" she whispered my name with such remorse I winced, knowing her answer. "She's gone."

That was it. My sister—the one I loved, the one I would give anything for. The one I grew up with, suckled with, played with… she was gone… It was my fault. All my fault. I felt like a someone had stabbed their claws right through my heart and ripped it out. My fault… If only I would've stayed. If only I would've had more respect for Clan duties… If I would've listened to my mother and Gethin… My mother!

"My mother—Froststar?" I asked, anxiety pricking in my voice.

If my mother had also lost her life in this clash, I didn't know what I'd do. Run away. Leave the Clan, unable to face the guilt and memories here. My father would hate me, Gethin too… Lavendermoon would never love a slacker like me. Destined to live alone—never love… Not that I deserve it.

"She lost a life but not her last. When she hit the rock face it shattered her ribs, but with losing her life, her major injuries that caused the loss have left," Paw answered.

I sighed in relief. Thank StarClan my mother was alive. If she had died…

"Where is she?" I asked limping to my paws.

"You can speak with her later. You need to get to the medicine cat's den to rest your shoulder. You're hurt badly you know," she said and padded up so I could use her for support while I limped.

I did my best not to glare but one escaped. "I have three good legs!" I snapped.

"It messes up your spine. Please let me help," Paw said, some other kind of emotion in her voice—fear? Fear for me? The slacker? The negligent warrior?

I sighed in submission and leaned on her. I felt something tremble in her skin. I looked at her face and saw light shades of pink forming on her cheeks. Was she blushing? I was beginning to wonder whether all this really was for my medical interest or my love interest. I suddenly felt awkward. My pelt grew hot with embarrassment and annoyance.

As we made our way over to the medicine cat den, I saw how bad the carnage was. Noonshine scurried around to each injured cat one by one. Darrin had a long cut down his arm from the claws. Faithfulheart's nose was bloody from a bite wound. My mother was rising slowly to her paws with my father's support. My father's front left paw was twisted the wrong way so I guessed it was broken. Gethin assisted Noonshine, running back and forth from the medicine cat den with herbs.

We entered the den slowly. The entrance was sloped slightly downward as you entered. I sort of slid down, unsheathing my claws to try and get some traction. Paw helped me over to an empty nest. I lay down on my good shoulder and felt winced as I moved my leg the wrong way.

Paw darted to the storages. "Here," she mewed. "Take these. They're poppy seeds. They'll help with the pain.

She set the tiny brown seeds in front of me. For a moment I looked at them. I sighed and licked them up. I chewed them quietly before swallowing. "How long 'til I fall asleep?" I asked. That was the reason I had always been against taking poppy seeds.

Paw seemed surprised I knew that. "Just a few minutes. The dose I gave you will kick in quickly."

"Fantastic," I muttered.

I woke later that day. Moonlight shone in the medicine cat den entrance. I looked around and saw that Paw was nowhere to be found. Rising slowly to my paws, careful to not hurt my shoulder, I limped toward the den entrance. Limping was getting even easier as I got used to using only three legs.

Finally reaching the medicine cat den entrance, I saw what was going on. The full moon shone overhead and Froststar sat on Rockpile, her head dipped and eyes closed. All of the Clan were around her, their heads lowered. I made my way toward them and saw what they surrounded—the bodies of the slain. Snowfire was nearest to Froststar and… Lavendermoon….No. Lavendermoon's lifeless body lay next to my sisters.

I clamped my eyes shut, praying to StarClan to take the image away. I prayed that I was dreaming and it wasn't true. It couldn't be true. She was so innocent… and she was dead because of my. I was the one that should've been lying there dead. Dead with no mourners, except perhaps my mother and sister. I felt tears flood over my eyes and run down my cheeks. I was crying. I couldn't cry. Not there.

"Let us all pray that these souls rise up to StarClan," my mother's mew made me open my teary eyes. "Lavendermoon and Snowfire died fighting bravely to protect their Clan."

"Indeed they did!" Lavendermoon's brother, Sunblaze yowled suddenly. "But my question is why was it necessary for them to die?!"

"Yes! Whose job was it to watch the camp?!" chorused Badgerleg.

Yowls of agreement rose from the enraged Clan before me. I began to limp swiftly back to the medicine cat den. "Stripeclaw!" my mother's yowl made me freeze in mid-limp. "Get over here."

Wincing, I turned. All eyes were on me. Attention. I hated it. "Yes?"

"Were you or were you not given orders to watch the camp?" my mother inquired, her eyes hard and cynical. She didn't look like that cat that had raised me, loved me, or suckled me. She looked like a warrior—like a true leader.

I gulped and nodded slowly. "Yes," I whispered, my voice barely audible to myself.

"And?" Froststar asked, her voice full of irritation and grief. "Where were you?"

"Hunting," I whispered. "I didn't think this would happen. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry catches no prey!" Jaggedrock snapped.

"Exile!" Mouseclaw yowled.

I saw my mother's neck fur rise. "No exile!" she caterwauled. "Enough! Stripeclaw will be punished but let's not be rash. We're all grieving right now."

Wincing, I limped as fast as I could back to the medicine cat den, ignoring insults and hisses thrown at me. I heard the pounding of paws behind me and paused. "No," my mother's voice came from my side but I didn't dare look at her face. "My den."

Sighing, I did as I was told. My mother headed back to the crowd of cats as I limped toward her den. I saw Paw rushing toward me to help, but I shot her an irritated glare and she backed off. I wasn't in the mood for her antics either.

I limped in the den. Her nest lay at the opposite side of the entrance. It looked ready and prepared—one of the apprentices had probably cleaned it out. I sat a little off from the entrance. It wasn't long before I heard her paws thunder inside. I watched her as she circled in her nest once before finally sitting, curling her tail around her paws. She then fixed her eyes on me; her gaze was hard and cynical as it had been before.

"You neglected your duties," she whispered. It wasn't exactly the rage I expected. Her voice sounded soft and defeated. Her eyes acted as a mask to her internal, emotional pain, but her voice betrayed her.

"I know mother," I whispered. If I were to raise my voice and higher, my own sorrow would escape. I just couldn't cry in front of my leader, even if she was my mother.

I saw her eyes well up with moisture, but she blinked them away. She must have felt the same way. "You will be punished," she meowed, her voice cracking. I knew she was losing her self-restraint. I wanted her to lose it. I wanted her to yowl, caterwaul, wallow in agony; I wanted her to show me how much I hurt her. It would've been better than just sitting there watching her silently suffer—to try and pretend that the pain didn't exist.

"I know. What is it going to be?" I asked. A part of me wondered how harsh my punishment would be. If she went easy on me because I was her son I'd be annoyed. If she went too hard on me because I was her son, I'd also be annoyed. Another part of me was terrified to know what she was planning on doing to me.

Froststar gazed at me for a minute. Her expression still hard and considering, but I could see it in her eyes that she was in agony. More guilt swept through me. I saw that in her eyes, she longed to punish me heavily, but she was also torn between herself. She was dismayed that her own son could cause her so much pain. That her own son could destroy something she loved so much. Was it that it? Had I become not the killer, but something worse? Physically my sister's blood was on the badger's paws, but was it mentally on my own. Was my stupidity blamed for the slaying? Was I truly a murderer in my own way?

How could I be? None of this was intentional—it never would have been. I loved my sister and I loved Lavendermoon… I might not have loved everyone in my Clan, but that did not mean that I wished this fate upon them. Even if I had been there, the badgers would have gotten inside… But maybe I could've done something… Warned them sooner before they got to the nursery…

"This is all my fault," I whimpered finally, her silence scarring me.

"I'm not sure if it should be… You… I mean… That's the hard part of it all," Froststar murmured. Her voice was a mixture of agony and frustration. "Should you be blamed for murder when you yourself did not commit? Should you be held responsible for the inevitable just because you were not paying attention?"

Her words made me feel slightly better, and slightly worse. I could see that we shared the same thoughts: the controversy of my sentence. How many out there—those grieving, poor cats who had lost their loved ones—felt the same as we did? How many out there were in favor of exile or possibly death? Did those that despised me, hate me even more? Did those that loved me still have room in their hearts for me? Could I ever live the pain down?

"Sometimes I feel like I mess everything up," I muttered. This wasn't, in my opinion, the best time for revelations. Sometimes, though I did feel like it. Because I didn't have 'Clan blood' some cats blamed me for every mistake. If I was in camp and a kit got attacked by a hawk, I'd get yowled at for not trying to save it, even if I didn't know. I was always the cat to blame.

"You don't," my mother assured. There she went being all nice. She wasn't helping.

"Yes I do! You don't have any idea what it's like being me! You and Toby are always just hanging out and living the good life while Snowfire and I are ridiculed for our stupid genes! If you wouldn't have killed your spirit-forsaken brother none of this would've ever happened! I wouldn't exist and I'm starting to like the sound of that!" I snarled.

The words were out of my mother before I could stop myself. The rage, the remorse, the everything just came out. I thought of the meanest, most cruel, most brutal thing I could think of and said it. She showed me her pain; not straight out, but she implied all of it. Now it was time for her to see mine.

I saw her stare at me in disbelief. My words had scarred her so deep… I felt a twinge of guilt shock me, but shoved it off. Her pure blue eyes began to tear up. "Stripeclaw… Snowfire is dead. How many more have to die before you heed my word?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

She played her game well. If it was a game. Either way it had appeared we both had begun a game of cat and mouse. We switched turns as being the cat. She wasn't slow to respond. She shot back the same brutality I gave her. I envied her strength… I'd had more than I could handle.

I whipped around and pelted out of the den. I didn't care about the pain in my shoulder. I didn't care about all the wide eyes watching me as I fled downriver. I didn't care that the bodies of my dead loved ones lay just across the clearing. I didn't care that my mother was probably crying right now. Everything melted away in a bitter relief.

Running. Running. I had to keep running. Run away from it all. I wanted to curl up and die. There was no point to my existence. I was hated everywhere by everyone. Nothing else was there for me.

I stopped when I was far down river and turned back toward the camp. The moon was setting and I saw the sky taking the dull gray predawn color. I looked past the high walls of the camp and onto something bigger; better. I saw the mountains outlined in the early morning sky. I felt a bitter smile find its way onto my face. That's where I would go—the mountains.


	4. Part 1: Chapter 3

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 3_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter III- Ravenpaw**

**Dark Dreams**

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After the funeral for Snowfire and Lavendermoon, most of the cats went into their dens but I stayed up. I sat beside Rockpile and angled my head up at the full moon above me. I could scarcely make out its craters in its face.

A blur of movement caught my attention. Turning my head toward the leader's den, I saw Stripeclaw pelting out of camp downstream. I felt bad for the poor tom. Even if he had been in camp at the time, what in the name of StarClan was he going to do against two adult badgers? I hoped Froststar hadn't been too hard on him, but the way he looked, she probably did.

Sighing, I headed toward the apprentices' den which was in a cluster of rocks near the medicine cat den. As I padded toward it, I heard paw-steps from behind me. Turning, I saw none other than a dark ginger tabby she-cat. Her bright green eyes illuminated parts of her face in the darkness of the night.

"Hi Ravenpaw," he greeted me, cheerfully.

"Hi Darkpaw," I returned the greeting my sister. I shot a glance at the place where her left ear used to be. During the badger attack, she'd been fighting and one of the badger's clawed her ear right off. The spot was all matted with dried blood. A part of me would never forgive Stripeclaw for that, another part tried to remind me that it wasn't entirely his fault. Things like this happen every day in the four Clans right?

"Where are you going?" she asked trotting beside me. Her happy-go-lucky behavior got on my nerves sometimes, but you had to give her credit for it. With everything we've been through…

Stripeclaw and I could relate because we both shared the same pain—the rejection from the Clan. Everyone saw Darkpaw and I as the son and daughter of a medicine cat and a rogue. They tried to make us think that they accepted us, but we too were ridiculed for our parents. Why were Clan cats so judgmental?

"To sleep," I replied. The two of us padded side-by-side to the apprentices' den. Peachpaw and Vinepaw were already asleep. Even they were prejudice to us. I knew that they tried to act friendly to us, but sometimes I believed they were just patronizing us. They felt sorry for us so they tried to be kind. Always looking down on us. We'd be remembered only for being the son and daughter of a medicine cat and a rogue. Always being looked down on… Always being despised.

I padded to the back of the den and lay down in my nest. Darkpaw took her place beside me. Every now and then, I'd pretend that we were kits again, cuddling into each other for warmth rather than pleasure. It gave us both a comforting, reassuring feeling. It brought us back to good old days where we didn't know or care what we were. Even if we wished different, it wouldn't change anything.

As our pelts brushed up against each other's, her warmth made my muscles relax. It wasn't long before I found myself drifting off to sleep…

I woke in a forest. At least, I thought it was a forest. There were trees around me, some so tall they stretched high up into the sky. The ones' whose branches were visible were shorter. I looked up and saw the branches were all gnarled and entwined together in on big layer of bracken, blocking out the sun… if there even was a sun. Some ferns surrounded the narrow path I was on and mist layered the forest floor. I thought I heard the faint gurgling of a stream or river nearby.

My claws slid out instinctively, telling me that danger was nearby. Every nerve and sense in my body was yowling at me to leave… but where did they expect me to go? I didn't know how I got there, or where I was. How could I run from an unseen danger?

I hesitantly started forward. The ground was moist like a marsh beneath my paws causing mud to ooze between my pads which made me shudder. I continued forward down the narrow path into the unknown. The deeper I went, the darker it got. The floor around me began to get a bioluminescent glow. "So you've found your way to power," a cryptic voice whispered from behind me.

I whipped around, claws unsheathed. My lips were curled in a snarl as I faced the speaker. He was a dark brown tabby tom with darker blackish stripes. His pale yellow eyes glinted malevolently in the darkness.

"Who are you?" I growled. I tried to keep my composure of aggression, but I was half intrigued, half frightened by this cat. His eyes had no pupils but were just yellow orbs in their sockets. He was scarred. There was a long scar across his chest where he'd probably been clawed and there was a deep gaping hole in his neck that went completely through him. I then realized that this cat was dead.

"My name is unimportant," he grunted as he began to circle me.

I followed him, not willing to turn my back on this shady character. His appearance made me shiver and something about him reminded me of a story they told us when we were kits but I couldn't remember… "I think it is," I replied, following him.

The dark cat snickered. "Don't you recognize me?" he sneered. "Then again I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't my murderer refuses to speak of me. She believes it's a bad omen… Believe me, kid, it is."

Shocked, I began to back away from him. "You-you're Tigerstorm!" I fumbled out. I didn't have time to be embarrassed of my fear, this was a serious murderer I was standing face-to-face with… A cruel heartless cat that… murdered kits.

Tigerstorm's pale yellow, pupil-less eyes seemed to glint with interest. "So you have heard of me. In nursery tales no doubt. I was all the one getting my rump kicked wasn't I?" he chided at himself.

I gulped, feeling a lump grow in my throat. I never thought of it that way, but as I thought back, he was right. Tigerstorm in the end always was killed and was made up to look bad. Some would say he deserved that reputation… others, like his mate and the current Clan deputy, Crescentmoon, would say otherwise. They said that despite his mistakes that he made and the killings he'd committed, there was another side of him. There had to be. Could anyone truly be born bad?

"Of course, don't let those nursery tales fool you," he warned. His voice was full of a dark malevolence. His breath was so cold it caused me to shiver. I saw my own breaths come out in puffs as the temperature suddenly dropped. The bioluminescence began to darken to a dark blue almost reddish color. His pale yellow eyes faded to a deep black. "I might be dead, but at the same time, I am very. Much. Alive."

Everything lit up around me in a bright flashing light. The temperature rose to stifling degrees. Spluttering in the intense heat, I managed to look around me and see everything for the first time. The trees were dead. Their bark was gnarled, and in many places chipping off leaving a black, charred center visible. The ferns around me were all dried out and were crispy brown leaves. The soft ground we tread on was not mud put leaves. I looked down and saw a vision in one of those leaves.

In the leaf, I saw an apprentice. He was boasting to his friends about being a great climber when he grew up. A she-cat snickered at him. She teased him that he was too fat to accomplish it. It then skipped to while he was a warrior. He leapt up the tree like a squirrel. He moved along the trunk effortlessly. I then recognized this warrior as Whitefur.

Looking away from the leaf, I looked back at Tigerstorm. I finally saw the extent of what Froststar had did to him. He had been clawed all over and an icicle had been stabbed straight through his neck, leaving a gaping hole there. His fur was matted and bloodied. He looked more like an injured elder than a dark warrior.

Finally, the light went dark and bioluminescence returned. There was a faint, chilly breeze stinging the air. I was gasping for breath and still recovering from the rapid temperature and light changes. "What are in the leaves?" I breathed.

I saw a sly grin form on Tigerstorm's evil face. "Discarded hopes and dreams; forgotten dreams. This is what we have to look forward to. All life ends in suffering and tragedy."

"What about StarClan?" I had to ask that question. If this was the Dark Forest, then there was a StarClan too. Froststar had visited StarClan to receive her nine lives, and my mother visited regularly at every half-moon.

Tigerstorm laughed out loud. "Those starry fools," he sneered. "They never did anything for me. I suffered in my life—I lost the cat I loved, I lost my chances at being leader, do you know how much they've bent my story?—I've lost everything!"

I realized that Tigerstorm and I had a lot in common… More than I'd ever imagined. Was I just that dark, or was he not so bad? I maybe didn't lose anyone I loved, but a half-Clan cat could never be leader. I was ridiculed for my own story—being half-Clan and being the son of a medicine cat… "We have some things I common," I murmured.

Tigerstorm who had been staring at the ground looked up at me. His pupil-less eyes softened. "Maybe we do… That is why I have summoned you here. I know about you—you're the son of a medicine cat and a rogue," he meowed.

I frowned. Would I always be labeled as that? "Yeah. Everyone calls me that," I muttered.

"I want to change that."

His words surprised me. I looked up curiously. "What am I to you?"

His eyes darkened. "A gateway to a new life. I also… would have been Stripeclaw's father if it weren't for Ripplefur."

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A/N: Review?


	5. Part 1: Chapter 4

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 4_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter IV- Stripeclaw**

**"I have a voice!"**

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As dawn began to peek over the sides of the gorge, I proceeded farther downstream. I knew that sooner or later I'd have to go back to camp to get to the other side closer to the mountains.

I spent the day hunting. I wanted to eat as much as I could before setting off on the journey since I wasn't brave enough to go back to camp and ask Noonshine for some traveling herbs. Maybe it was for the better. She wouldn't forgive me after her daughter's ear got clawed off by one of the badgers… No one would forgive me.

The day went by at an antagonizingly slow pace. Even though I tried to keep my mind focused on hunting, I lost track of how many times I relived watching my sister die and seeing Lavendermoon's dead body lying there in the clearing…

The sunhigh son bore down hot on my brown fur. It seemed to soak up the heat of the early newleaf weather making me suffer in the intense heat. Even under the shade of an elderberry bush, I couldn't escape the blinding rays.

I was relieved when dusk finally arrived. The coolness returned to the air, bringing with it a chilly breeze that reminded it wasn't completely greenleaf yet. I began my slow, grueling trek back to the hollow. I knew I had to pick up the pace. If I continued like that the entire night, I might just get to the camp by sunrise. I padded almost swiftly back to camp. When I reached the camp, it was about an hour until moonhigh.

Crouching behind a rock near the river, I scanned the area for signs of the guards. Strangely, I didn't see any. Hesitating and ready to dart back behind the shroud of the rock, I edged my way into the camp. Even though it had been my home for so many moons now, now it felt alien to me. It felt like I truly didn't belong here—I knew I didn't.

I got more confident though as I padded silently across the smooth rocky surface of the camp toward the entrance. It was then, I heard paw-steps behind me. I whipped around to face the cat that was following me.

Gethin stood there, his emerald green gaze angled intently at me. "Where were you today?"

"Nowhere important," I grumbled, then regretted it. Why was I even justifying myself to a _Clan cat?!_

"I see," Gethin meowed, narrowing his eyes.

"Look I—" I began to say but he cut me off.

"Just shut up," he growled.

I lost it. Everything I've been through… the pain and the humiliation. I'd had everyone in my Clan look down on me for my decisions and for my genes. They said I had unclean blood, what did they know?! "DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO SHUT UP!" I caterwauled.

"Why not?!" Gethin asked surprisingly calm.

"BECAUSE I HAVE A VOICE! AND NO ONE HAS EVER LET ME USE IT!" I yowled as loud as I could. I didn't care if it was almost moonhigh. I didn't care how many cats were woken. I didn't care how many were watching me. I wanted them to know my pain. I wanted them to understand the agony they'd put me through.

"Yes you do have a voice. If you said anything that made sense - if you used your brain before you spoke, more cats might listen to you." Gethin mewed.

I glanced around me. My mother and father stood nearby. My father watched with a dubious look on his face while my mother's blue eyes were round with shock and pain. A part of me was guilty but another part wasn't. What I said was true. I nearly never got to say my opinion on things. No one recognized me as a true individual just a half-Clan cat. I did have a voice. No one let me use it.

I looked around again at all the faces. I felt that uncomfortable feeling twist my stomach into a knot. My pelt was hot with the gazes of all who hated me. This hot feeling was not embarrassment, but shame. I felt ashamed for my shouting and waking everyone else. I had become ashamed for letting my pain grow like that.

Gethin watched me, his emerald eyes swirling with some kind of emotion I'd never encountered on his face before—guilt or sympathy?

Turning away from all the smoldering gazes, I bolted up the path out of camp, longing to be in the peacefulness of the forest. I was finally able to breathe properly again when I was under the comfort of the trees. Heaving a sigh of relief and anxiety, I padded under the thick canopy of leaves above me.

I soon heard paw-steps coming up from behind me. "Son of a badger," I muttered under my breath but then regretted it in memory of my sister. I shouldn't disrespect a creature that was capable of killing so many.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to get in the habit of cursing?" Gethin's voice sounded behind me, causing my to cringe in disgust.

I flexed my claws hotly. "Didn't your parents tell you it was wrong to intrude?"

"What exactly am I intruding on hot-shot?" he sneered.

I hated Gethin's outsider slang, especially when it was aimed at me. He'd traveled so many places, he'd adapted so many different dialects, it'd shock you.

"Don't you have some kits to scare old-timer," I replied, refusing to turn and face him. I knew that calling him old would also tick him off.

I heard Gethin growl behind me. "Where exactly do you think you're going to go?"

His words surprised me. "I'm going to go to the mountains."

"And what? Get your rump kicked by a punch of tribe cats?" he sneered. He came up and stood beside me trying to look at my face.

I turned my head away.

"Why are you avoiding this?" he asked.

"Because it's my fault!" I hissed. "It's all my fault! No one will ever accept me for what I did. They barely accepted me before I became this monster!"

I heard Gethin sigh. "You call yourself a monster when what happened probably would've happened even if you didn't leave your post. Your mother has killed more cats than you and she considered herself a monster—but she found sanctuary in the place she'd killed."

"So basically what you're telling me is to go back?" I snorted. "What happens is in the past and I'm putting my past behind me."

Gethin suddenly nipped my shoulder blade.

I hissed in pain and jerked away. "What in the name of StarClan was that for?!" I snarled.

"What does it matter? It was in the past. You said you were going to put the past behind you," he reminded me.

I flattened my ears against my head. "It still hurts!"

"Yes, the past can hurt, take it from an expert on the subject," Gethin mewed. "But you can either run from it, or learn from it." He went to bite my shoulder again, but I jerked away just in time and heard his teeth snap shut. "Ha! You see?"

I rolled my eyes. "What was that supposed to be? A lesson?" I snorted. "Guess what, it doesn't change my mind."

"I didn't expect it to," he remarked.

I began to stalk off, when I heard a rustling from the bushes in front of me. Looking up, I saw Darkpaw come out. Her ginger tabby fur glimmering under the moonlight. "Where ever you're going, I'm going too," she announced.

StarClan, why are you doing this to me? I wondered.

"I'm going with you," Ravenpaw's voice sounded from in the bush. The black apprentice came out behind his sister. "I'm not letting you go alone."

Darkpaw beamed at her brother.

I looked back at Gethin. "You wanna come too?!"I growled.

Gethin snorted and looked at his paws. "I have to stay with Faithfulheart." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "I can't let you kids go alone," he muttered. "Wait here," he mewed and bounded back to camp.

I looked at Ravenpaw and Darkpaw. Darkpaw sat, her eyes bright with excitement. Ravenpaw was quiet and reserved as he looked suspiciously around the area. I envied him. He had a sister to leave with. I had no one.

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A/N: Review?


	6. Part 1: Chapter 5

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 5_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter V- Gethin**

**Departing**

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As a made my way back to the camp, many thoughts rushed through my head. I thought about Stripeclaw and his idiocy. I thought about Darkpaw and Ravenpaw being led our into the unknown to a headstrong mouse-brained fool and starving to death. I also thought about Faithfulheart—my beloved mate. How would she react when I would tell her I was leaving and might not be returning? Could I take her with us? No, she had kits to feed… My main reason for hating to leave the Clan was her. This was all Stripeclaw's fault. And I thought his mother was crazy!

I neared the camp and saw Froststar sitting next to Rockpile, her back to the tall walls of the gorge and to the forest above. Her silk-like white fur glimmered in the moonlight. Her back arched as she heaved in sigh, or let out a sob.

Padding down, I tried to think of what I would say. Apologize? I remembered how, moons ago, when Stripeclaw was in the middle of his apprenticeship, she made me his guide in a way. She feared that he'd walk down the wrong path, so she gave him to me to watch. I hated the idea, I still did. Leaving me, a former juvenile delinquent in charge of a present juvenile delinquent had bad idea written all over it. Why flirt with disaster? But, Froststar insisted.

I hated being controlled—being looked down on and pitied like I was when I first arrived at SkyClan. I hated being a submissive rather than a dominant or an independent. It always led back to that though didn't it? The balance of power. I understood Stripeclaw's motives there. I knew what it was like to be looked down on. I knew what it was like to be underestimated, under-appreciated.

Hesitantly, I approached her. I wondered what she'd say to me. Punish me? Blame me? "Greetings, Froststar," was all that I could get out.

I heard Froststar heave a tortured sigh. "Gethin, this is all my fault… If only I wasn't so hard on him! I want my son back! I want him as a kit always making a mess back in the barn and, and having him cuddle into me at night…"

She turned to me, her eyes red from all her sobbing. She buried her head in my shoulder, staining my fur with the salt water of her tears. I ran my tail soothingly down her back trying to comfort her (I just hoped Toby wasn't watching). "It's okay… he's leaving to go to the mountains… but I'm going with him. I'll do whatever I can to bring him back. I promise you that."

Her head moved so she was looking up at me. She was beautiful, just like she was the night she told her I cared about her. I realized later that it wasn't her I was seeing but my former mate who died because of me—Seneca. Froststar was an exact image of her, especially under the moonlight. The waning moon above me made this moment in time feel magical. Time seemed to freeze. I thought of Faithfulheart and how much I loved her… How I had come to love her…

I learned down toward her and pressed my muzzle to hers softly. Instead of pulling away, she held it there. I pulled her gently closer with my tail until our pelts touched. The sincerity of it seemed to overwhelm us both, but it was I who finally pulled away. I gazed into her eyes and she gazed back. I saw more tears form in her eyes. I knew she was thinking of Toby and how many times she'd done this behind his back. As the tears began to fall, I whipped them away with my tail. "Don't cry," I whispered.

She got up and left me sitting there without another word and I knew I'd only made it worse. I padded over toward the nursery to face my own mate. I wasn't very good at keeping secrets. I was better at lying about something that never happened rather and about something that did. I was a good liar, I had to be, but sometimes, like when I was with those I loved, it was easy to know I was lying.

I padded over to Faithfulheart who slept peacefully. Moonlight slanted in through a rip in the lichen roof of the nursery falling down upon her elegantly. She was even more beautiful that Froststar, but that wasn't why I was in love with her. She had more things to say than any other cat I knew, and she couldn't even talk. Most of those things were wise and kind. She never had a bad thing to say about anybody, even if she couldn't tell me that, I just knew.

Feeling bad for waking her, I prodded her in the side with my paw. "Faithfulheart," I whispered trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible not wanting to wake Morningflame or Mountainrain.

Her ear twitch and I saw her skin ripple as she woke. She opened her beautiful blue eyes and gazed up at me and I heard her purr quietly. Wolfkit and Streamkit did not stir at her belly. Streamkit was an miniature Faithfulheart while Wolfkit had my eyes but nothing more.

I leaned down and pressed by lips to hers. She purred in pleasure and stayed there until I pulled away. I laid down beside her and licked her neck. "Faithfulheart…" I whispered. "I'm going to have to leave for a while," I told her.

Her blue eyes clouded with sadness.

"I promise I'll come back. Stripeclaw's leaving and I can't let him go alone… Ravenpaw and Darkpaw are going with him… I have to do this. I beg that you'll forgive me one day," I whispered.

Her tail touched my cheek and she gave me a soft look to let me know that all was forgiven. "I love you so much and I'm sorry," I whispered feeling guilty.

Before I could say another thing, her muzzle was against mine again. She pulled away. "I love you," she mouthed. "Now go."

I licked her cheek softly and left the nursery sadly, my head hanging. Silently, I left the camp, heading to face my past.

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A/N: Review?


	7. Part 1: Chapter 6

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 6  
_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter VI- Darkpaw**

**Understanding**

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When Gethin finally returned, we spent the night waiting. We all agreed that we would leave at dawn the next morning. Anyone who couldn't keep up would be left behind. I was afraid of that part—being left alone in the wild with no one to watch your back, having to defend yourself with no backup. Gethin had been used to that. He knew what it was like to go for days without knowing when your next meal would be. He knew what it was like to live a lonely existence with no one there to comfort you when you were upset, or keep you company when you truly needed it.

Ravenpaw and I lay down and spent the night sleeping side by side. There was no need to cuddle close since it was green-leaf… but what happened during leaf-bare when snow covered the earth? How would a lone cat survive that with no one to keep him warm?

I woke early the next morning. The grayness of an early dawn hung in the sky. A light frost covered the ground around me and I found myself covered in dew. I hissed quietly in disgust and shook my pelt, splattering Stripeclaw.

Stripeclaw jumped up at the drops hit his pelt. He yowled in surprise and then saw me. He glared maliciously at me. "Why am I not surprised it was you? I wanted to go on this journey to get away from mouse-brained fools like you!" he snarled. His eyes burned with hatred. He had reasons for anger. I knew he had to be mad at himself for everything and he was just letting it out on others.

With that in mind, I felt a little better, but at the same time, the words stung me. I looked down wanting to avoid his gaze at all costs. With all the tempers flaring and the circumstances that were at hand, the last thing I wanted to do was cause any more drama. My brother, however, wasn't concerned about the well-being of the others in the group.

"Why are you yelling at her?!" he challenged the older tom. "You're the one that doesn't know how to guard a camp entrance!"

I knew that would set Stripeclaw over the edge. I saw his claws slide out but he made no move to claw my brother. Instead, his look of fury softened and he looked down, ashamed. "You're right."

Gethin growled at Ravenpaw. "Enough of this!" he hissed. "Come on, if we're gonna get to these spirit-forsaken mountains we better get moving."

Gethin and my brother started off but Stripeclaw and I stood there, motionless. He didn't look at me. He focused on his paws and made no attempt to apologize, so I made the first move. "I'm sorry for my brother."

Stripeclaw looked up at me. His pale yellow eyes that once sparkled with his youth looked dull like an elder's that had seen too many years. He gave me one look that had an apology written all over it. "Thank you," he whispered, his own voice cracking. "But I don't deserve your sympathy."

He turned and padded after the others and I brought up the rear. Stripeclaw and I didn't speak for the rest of the morning.

Around sunhigh, we stopped as we reached a Twolegplace. Almost all of us hissed in disgust when we reached it: a tall barrier with small, diamond-shaped holes in between the item. It looked like the woven twig walls of the nursery. "What is it?" I wondered aloud.

"The Upwalkers call it a fence," Gethin explains.

"Upwalkers?" Ravenpaw asked, his eyes blank, but his lips curled in a snarl of disgust at the alien object.

"Twolegs. The cats around here call them Upwalkers."

"How do you know?" Stripeclaw spat.

"Because I've been here before you mouse-brained fool," Gethin retorted, his emerald-green eyes blazing with annoyance and hatred.

That silenced Stripeclaw. "Do we go into the Twolegplace?" I asked the older warrior.

Gethin looked up and I followed his gaze to the distant mountain range. He squinted his eyes in focus. "I guess," he said sounding dubious of his words. "Find an open space."

Ravenpaw and I began to search the bottom of the fence so we could squeeze under and into the Twolegplace. I looked up to see if we could climb it. The fence looked climbable but when I looked up, I saw what looked like sharp brambles rolled in a ball on the top. I looked down quickly. I certainly wouldn't want to climb over that.

I found a place where the wire was looser and was able to put a paw under it. "Hey! I think I found a place!" I announced proudly. Gethin and Stripeclaw bounded over and investigated the find.

"We might have to dig," Gethin announced, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "I hate getting dirt in my claws."

Remembering the feeling of getting dirt under by paws when I retracted them made me shudder. "Do we have to?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Gethin nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. That is if you want to fit under it."

Stripeclaw unsheathed his claws and began to try to dig up the soil. He yowled in pain as his claws only made tiny marks in the hart earth. I then noticed his paw was bleeding. "STARCLAN DAMMIT!" he yowled in pain.

Gethin hissed in annoyance. "Any louder and StarClan will hear you, you blundering fool. It's just a torn claw. Relax."

"Relax?! That hurt!" Stripeclaw snarled. The things he said next were so full of profanity, I couldn't repeat. Ravenpaw snickered in amusement as Stripeclaw stomped around, swearing like he was mad.

I decide to try to get my claws to dig up some dirt but it was far too hard for me to claw up. Our claws were strong but at the same time flimsy especially when it came to moving hard earth.

Gethin got tired of Stripeclaw's cussing. "Would you shut up? He snapped. Great spirits, you act like you got your ears clawed off. Shut up and help us think out a new plan!"

What were we going to do? We couldn't climb the fence. We couldn't go under it. Could we go around it? I looked both way but the fence stretched out far and wide and a long row of Twoleg dens stretched out over a wide expanse. Around it was out. If only it had rained. The ground was too dry from the green-leaf sun. I felt how hard it was beneath my paws. In the forest, the ground was softer since it was under the cover of the dense trees. The nearest trees was a good twelve fox-lengths back leaving the sun to fall there freely.

"What plan? I say we give up and go home," Ravenpaw snorted, his whiskers twitching in irritation. "Give up this silly game we're playing here."

"We just can't give up!" I snapped at my brother with such furiousity I surprised myself. You might've not wanted to come but I did! I wanted to find out where I truly belong in this world rather than stay behind in that place being mocked every day for the rest of my life about my parents! So you can either shut up or go home!"

I realize that everyone is looking at me with wide eyes. I was never know to be one to lose their temper since I rarely had one. I wasn't a ticking time bomb like Gethin or Stripeclaw or even my brother Ravenpaw. I was me. I was the happy, fun-loving one. I was the one that tried to keep everyone in high spirits and be fair. I was the optimistic one who saw the silver lining. I was not the one who lashed out at someone for getting annoyed and saying their opinion. I guess I wasn't as perfect as everyone else thought. As perfect as I thought. I never thought I was perfect, but I never thought I was capable of that. I was wrong.

"Maybe we should rest here?" Gethin asked clearing his throat. He had that light, almost mocking tone as if he felt awkward.

We spent the rest of the day on the edge of the forest. Gethin and Stripeclaw sat closer to fence trying to debate on ways to get over or under it. Ravenpaw had gone off to hunt. I offered to go with him, but he said that he wanted to be alone. Clearly he hadn't forgiven me for yelling. I spent the rest of the day sitting under what appeared to be an old maple tree. I lay there with my head on my paws watching from ground level as Stripeclaw and Gethin argued about their proposals. I watched leaves cascade down from their perches on twigs after being disturbed by a gentle breeze. Under the coolness of the shade, it was a nice day. It was just warm enough outside and there was a gentle but constant cool breeze ruffling my fur and disturbing leaves about in the canopy and down on the forest floor.

I watched as the sun painstakingly made its descent toward the western horizon. The sky began to change from its bright, blue to its purplish base with slanted streaks of pink, red and orange as the sky began to appear like it was stained with blood. Despite the violent image that came to my head, the scene was beautiful with its vast array of colors.

By the bottom edge of the sun had reached the horizon, Ravenpaw had returned. In his jaws he carried three mice and under his chin, two baby birds. Rising to my paws, I praised my brother. "Good job!"

He looked at me and dropped the prey. He smiled. It felt good to see him smile at me again. Gethin and Stripeclaw came over and also commended him on his hunting. I was proud of my brother and as we divided the prey amongst ourselves, I felt nothing but peace in our unlikely gang. I believed we'd finally met an understanding.

The next morning, I woke. Gethin was nowhere to be found but Stripeclaw sat staring at the first barrier in our journey. I rose to my paws, careful not to wake my brother beside me and padded over to him. "Where's Gethin?" I inquired, stifling a yawn.

"He went out hunting again," Stripeclaw replied.

I heard a twig crack behind me. "That's probably him now," Stripeclaw murmured.

We both turned and it was Gethin all right. But in his mouth, he carried something very unexpected. He carried, not prey, but another cat. In his jaws was small she-cat with snow-white fur. She was unconscious and bleeding from a wound in the head.

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A/N: Review?


	8. Part 1: Chapter 7

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 7_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter VII- Stripeclaw**

**Strangers**

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I stared at Gethin set the white she-cat down. Darkpaw rushed to the she-cat's aid and immediately began searching the limp body from a wound. I went to wake Ravenpaw but saw the young cat stirring. I averted my attention to Gethin, who stared at the body with remorse. "Where did you find her?" I asked coming up beside him.

"Near the SkyClan border… I can't recognize a scent on her though," he replied, his voice monotonous. He was deep in thought with his eyebrows creased together.

I watched Darkpaw as she worked. I wondered what we'd do without her. Maybe being the offspring of a medicine cat wasn't so bad after all. She knew what to do moving her slender brown paws over the white she-cat's body tenderly gently testing for breaks. "Just looks like a head wound. She's unconscious too but no breaks. She's lucky… Ravenpaw could you go get some marigold? Gethin some cobwebs?" she asked.

Gethin and Ravenpaw both set out to get her requests leaving the two of us awkwardly alone. I had no attraction for Darkpaw what-so-ever. She was nice and all but not my type. If I had a type. I honestly didn't know. The way she took control of the situation made me proud to have her along. I could never do what she was doing, cleaning the young she-cat's wounds and searching for injuries. I wasn't useful in that area at all. I would get all twitchy if I had to do that. Cleaning myself or watching someone else be treated was a different story, but being hands on… I shudder at the thought.

As Darkpaw worked, Gethin came back with the cobwebs in his mouth and under his chin. As soon as he set them down, Darkpaw took the ones he'd carried in his mouth and wet them completely with her on saliva. I watched in disgust then realized was she was doing. As she moved the cobweb over the wound, it was washing off some of the dried of extra blood so we could get a better look at the wound. "It would be better if there was water…" Darkpaw muttered to herself.

Ravenpaw returned soon after with the golden flowers in his jaws. The smell of herbs nearly made be gag but I ignored it. I knew this would only make both Ravenpaw and Darkpaw angry because of their mother being a medicine cat and all. They could mistake it as a cruel joke with me jeering about their medicine cat heritage. Noonshine's mother had also been a medicine cat, and her father had also been a rogue, but unlike Patrick, her father left.

Darkpaw chewed the flowers into a poultice and applied it to the head wound. "Should we go hunt?" I asked Gethin trying not to push him. I knew seeing the sight of the poor white she-cat would only make everyone else wonder what else was out there… or who else.

Gethin shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want," he offered. "Take Ravenpaw with you."

"No," Darkpaw interrupted quickly. "If I need more herbs, he'll—"

"_He'll_ go get them right?! What am I? A dead piece of prey?! I might be old but I can still hunt and gather herbs!" Gethin snapped. His seductive emerald eyes were not appealing anymore, but burning with anger.

Darkpaw took a step back, her green eyes wide with shock. "I… I never…" she stammered. I knew she meant nothing by it. Ravenpaw just knew herbs better and if it were a life or death situation, he'd be able to find herbs faster. That's why she sent Ravenpaw for the marigold and Gethin for the cobwebs.

"Gethin lay off her!" I hissed. "Come on," I said nudging him forward with my muzzle.

The two of us started walking off into the forest. I wouldn't let Gethin look behind his shoulder at Darkpaw. I knew this was going to be harder than I ever thought it would be. Getting into the Twolegplace to cross it was only a minor altercation than what was coming. No land mass would be more dangerous than ourselves. Tempers were already flaring beyond control.

"Why did you snap at her like that?" I got up my nerve to ask.

"Why did you defend her?" Gethin snapped back sounding annoyed.

Growling, I ignored his comment and continued on ahead, brushing past him. I had enough to worry about without getting caught up in his messed up, personal affairs. He was behaving this way for a reason, and I believed his anger was pointed toward me, but he lashed out at everyone. And he would keep doing so until he either talked about it, or got over it.

I opened my mouth to keep on the lookout for prey, not that it would do any good with my stomping through the forest like a dog. I probably scared all the prey from here to the SkyClan camp. I slowed my step and converted effortlessly to a crouch in case something came along.

A crow cawed in a walnut tree just to my right. I looked up at the black bird, its jet-black coloring gave it away against the pale pink morning sky. I saw it pick off a green walnut from one of the branches of the tree and begin to swallow it. While the bird was occupied, I silently climbed up the tree. It was at times like this I wished I could thank my mother for my SkyClan heritage. For SkyClan cats, our powerful hind legs made tree climbing next to effortless which meant we wouldn't get tired easily, and that meant more hunting time and ultimately more prey.

I reached the branch that the bird was perched on. I wondered how I planned to do this alone. If I went onto the branch, even if the bird's back was turned toward me, it would feel the tremor in the branch from my weight. I could go above it and wait for it to fly up and then grasp it between my paws, but it would probably fly straight out, not up. I began to wish I never left Gethin.

There was a rustle of leaves above me. My eyes flew to the branch just above the crow. On the branch was a brown tabby tom with graying fur around his face. He looked older than Gethin. His amber eyes were fixed on me, then fluttered toward the bird. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. Did he want to help me catch the bird?

I gave him a brief nod, and he slunk away in a crouch further out onto the branch. His claws gripped the branch tensely as he perched. I realized that my own claws were aching for holding me up on the trunk of the tree for so long. I finally went out onto the crow's branch warily. I heard the crow squawk in fear as it saw me and fluttered upward in surprise, I went to leap after it, but I saw the tabby's claws sink into its soft chest and bring it back down on the branch. A bright light blinded me for a second as the sun glinted off something medal around the tabby's neck. Then I saw it. It was a round circular disk hanging off a collar on the cat's neck. It was a kittypet!

I jumped down from my perch on the tree and onto the forest floor with ease. I saw the tabby scurry down the tree head first before finally reaching the ground. He padded up to me and dropped the crow at my paws. His bright green collar that matched the color of the summer leaves stuck out on his short neck. "Here you go," he said and nudged the bird toward me with his paw.

"Why did you help me?" I asked warily. I didn't know what this kittypet was planning on doing. He might've been old and a kittypet, but I wasn't about to put it past anyone to not attack on this journey.

"In hope that you would help me," he responded. It seemed he was trying to keep me optimistic about his plans.

I arched an eyebrow, part curious, part suspicious. "What do you need help with? You need someone to disappear? You'd ask me that 'cause I'm a Clan cat right?" I asked. I knew that probably wasn't the question, I just wanted to see what the old-timer would do.

The old tabby's eyes widened in alarm. "I didn't mean anything by it! I was just looking for my friend Jerri. She wasn't in her garden this morning, but her collar was snagged on the wire fence."

So many thoughts came to me at once. They had to know away to get around the fence and into the town. Could this Jerri be the white she-cat Gethin found? If I took this strange cat back to our makeshift camp, would he be willing to help us into the town?

"Jerri, huh?" I asked trying to sound oblivious to what he was talking about. I wanted to make this old cat grateful we found his little she-cat friend. Then I thought of what I would do if someone was procrastinating telling me if they'd seen Darkpaw or not… or Snowfire… "We found a white she-cat this morning. No collar though."

The old tom's eyes widened. "Can you take me to her?" I asked, his voice flooding with anxiety. "I'm Lincoln by the way."

"'Pleasure," I muttered and led the way back toward our makeshift camp near the fence, carrying the crow in my jaws. I cast a glance over my shoulder ever now and then at this Lincoln to make sure he made no hostile moves. If he did, he was twice my age and I could take him down easily. Then again, Gethin was just a little younger than he was and Gethin could beat me easily in a fight because of his experience. What if this cat could too? Wait a minute, he was a kittypet!

As we reached the camp, I saw that Gethin had returned and was helping Darkpaw roll the she-cat over. "Jerri!" Lincoln explained and rushed past me to his companion.

Gethin jumped in surprise and hissed at the older tomcat. He looked at me and arched an angry eyebrow. I let my gaze flutter to Lincoln's green collar and Gethin followed me. We both looked at each other again and exchanged and crooked smile. I thought I saw a glint of pride flash through his eyes, but the both of us would always be too embarrassed to ever admit it.

Darkpaw explained to Lincoln what happened while Ravenpaw watched from up in a tree. I was startled when I first noticed him perched up and hidden amongst the leaves of a maple tree but he flicked his tail for me to keep it quiet. I knew he was probably ready for an attack of Lincoln and this Jerri turned on us.

"Will she be okay?" Lincoln asked nervously.

"I think so. I'm not an expert but I've done all I can," Darkpaw responded, sounding grave. This just made Lincoln dismayed.

While Darkpaw tried to comfort him, I made me way around to Gethin. "When do we ask him?" I asked, my voice barely audible. I saw Gethin strain his ears to listen. I would've whispered it in his ear but I knew we weren't [i]_that_[/i] desperate to keep this quiet.

Gethin flattened his ears against his head in thought. I narrowed his eyes at the tabby tom. "The sooner the better," he replied and led the way toward him. I followed him with no question. I knew that if we were all going to survive this journey without killing each other, we had to reach some kind of understanding. And I wasn't about to argue with anyone anymore, especially Gethin. He always brought something up about my biggest mistake. It would remain everlasting in my memories without him bringing it up.

Lincoln looked up at us as we approached. He rose quickly to his paws in an effort to address us properly but I knew it was a useless effort the way he cowered at Gethin in particular with his strong legs and long claws. "You got over the fence," Gethin mused calmly shooting a furtive glance at the wire. "How?"

The question took Lincoln by surprise. "First off, I didn't go over it," he corrected. "I went _under._ It's impossible to go over the damn thing."

"Then how did you go under it?" Gethin rephrased his question, his voice pricking with irritation at the old cat's corrections. I held back a smirk.

"There's a hole between the earth and the fence just down there," he mewed flicking his tail toward the general direction. "Jerri and I used it, but we put a rock there so no one but us will come in and out."

Gethin and I exchanged a glance and I knew we both felt beyond foolish. We had seen that rock but didn't bother to even try to move it since Darkpaw called us over. We didn't even go back to give it a second look.

"Can you take us there?" I asked trying not to sound envious of the old cat's wits.

"Once Jerri wakes up," he replied, a burning defiance raging in his old amber eyes. "I'm not going anywhere without her."

I didn't know what was with this old bone-bag and that young she-cat but a part of me didn't want to know. Despite my distaste, ideas of what exactly they'd been doing in the woods found their ways into my head. Was it because they were having a secret rendezvous in the forest for their own personal desires? The thought was chilling since he was older than Gethin and Jerri was a few moons younger than me by the looks of it. It couldn't be that… Maybe he was her father. I didn't know and there wasn't enough evidence for me to guess.

I heard a low groan and looked down at the white she-cat stirring before me. Her bright blue eyes fluttered open and she looked around in bewilderment. Lincoln rushed back to her side. "Jerri! Are you hurt? Say something!"

Another groan escaped Jerri's throat. Darkpaw rolled her onto her side. "Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked the young she-cat.

Jerri's eyes flickered to Lincoln then back to Darkpaw. She gave her a weak nod but seemed to be calmer now that Lincoln was at her side.

Darkpaw looked around. "Ravenpaw, I'm going to need poppy seeds. Look around for them."

Jerri gulped and looked up at me for the first time. Her helpless blue eyes bore into mine. "W-wa-t-ter," she whispered. I nodded. "Come on Gethin," I mewed urgently to him. I wanted to get him alone so I could talk to him about what exactly our plan was. This time, it was his turn to follow me. I knew where a shallow stream was nearby that would just cover up to our paws.

I unsheathed my claws and scraped some moss off a tree while Gethin began to think. We made our way to the stream in silence. I soaked the moss making sure to get a good amount of water inside the soft plant before returning back to the camp with Gethin. Gethin never spoke.

When we finally got closer to camp, a familiar tangy scent found its way to my scent glands. It took me only moments to recognize it—blood. I dropped the moss and Gethin and I sprinted back to camp. It appeared that Ravenpaw had returned only moments before we arrived. Darkpaw was gone and so were Lincoln and Jerri.

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A/N: Review?


	9. Part 1: Chapter 8

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 8_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter VIII- Ravenpaw**

**"This Cloud Will Hang Over Us All…"**

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The three of us exchanged a terrified glance. My sister… out there all alone with those strangers! I had a feeling we couldn't trust those too, especially that Lincoln. Gethin opened his mouth in a gasp, then I saw his eyes narrow. "It wasn't Lincoln and Jerri who took her," he meowed, sounding skeptical of himself.

"What do you mean it wasn't them?!" I snarled. "My sister is gone and someone had to take her, she'd never just wander off and leave us like that!"

Gethin bared his teeth in a snarl. "I never said she would you bee-brained fool!"

Taken aback by Gethin's harshness, but I would not let him scare my anger out of me. "I don't care what you said, I want to find my sister!"

"Both of you just shut up!" Stripeclaw nearly yowled to get our attention. "Gethin, you head toward the spot Lincoln told us they hid the rock, Ravenpaw, you stay here and search for clues. I'll follow the scent trail."

Gethin gazed at the younger cat with some look in his eye—admiration? Was Gethin proud of Stripeclaw the way he took control of the situation? Gethin padded off toward the rock in the fence. I watched him go and it was just where Lincoln said it would be, but it had not recently been disturbed. Stripeclaw disappeared between the ferns following the scent trail. I finally allowed my own scent glands to be exposed to the surrounding air. I nearly coughed in shock. My fury and shock had blocked out my other senses and I didn't notice the strong scents of other cats. It definitely wasn't Lincoln and Jerri who cat-napped my sister.

This new smell was different—it didn't smell like the inside of a Twoleg den like a kittypet. It had a wild twinge with it. It smelled like the forest and like the pines and mint leaves. It also had the sickening smell of carrion mixed in. Did this scent belong to Jerri's attacker? Was Jerri okay?

I had been so absorbed with the fact that I failed already in my quest to keep my sister safe that I had forgotten about Jerri's head injury. Maybe there'd be a trail of blood to follow. Maybe this cat or cats were trying to help Jerri… but would Darkpaw just disappear like that with them? I hadn't been far off searching for poppy seeds, she could've found me and told me. They couldn't have just convinced her tag along.

Then there was all the blood.

Where did that come from? I had been in hearing range of the sounds of a fight—frightened yowls or the sounds of hissing and growling. Was Jerri's head injury just acting up or did this cat or these cats hurt Darkpaw or Lincoln… or even the already wounded Jerri?

I saw tufts of fur lying on the ground near the base of the maple tree we'd been sheltering at. It was white fur from a white cat most likely. I sniffed it and pulled away quickly with distaste. It was definitely not Jerri's.

An image popped into my head that made me very satisfied. Just thinking about my sister hissing in surprise as a stranger comes along. She attacks him and rips some of fur off before reinforcements come and finally take her away. I had to chuckle a little. That sounded like my sister. I sometimes forgot that she was trained as a warrior and she would almost definitely act like one if it were necessary. Her cheerful, happy-go-lucky attitude made me forget she was lethal until I was on the receiving end.

A yowl of surprise cut off my train of thoughts. It came from near the ferns where Stripeclaw had disappeared. Without word of notice, I pelted off into the ferns. I heard Gethin's paws hard behind me. I charged into a small trail in the forest where cats had clearly traveled before. Stripeclaw stood, crowed low, his lips curled back in a snarl, and his fur bristling. Across from him crouched a pale gray tom, his eyes glinting with battle fury.

I lunged toward the gray tom. He took my attack off guard and I plowed into his shoulder blade and raked my claws along the length of his back. Yowling in agony, he twisted around so rapidly, I lost grip of his fur and fell into the dirt. I saw the glint of his fangs as he threatened to bring them down into my neck, but a flash of pale ginger stopped him.

Gethin pinned the younger tom underneath him and clawed vigorously at his muzzle. The cat hissed and I saw him try to rake Gethin's soft underbelly. A claw must have made contact, for Gethin yelped in response and jumped back, but Stripeclaw was quick to take his place and grabbed the cat in between his jaws. Gethin and I circled around. This cat fought like a warrior, but he was no match for the three of us. He seemed to conceive that since I saw a look of fear flash in his eyes, then disappear once more.

"Who sent you?" Gethin asked. The old tom's voice was full of authority and the wisdom of his years. Stripeclaw released the gray tom from his jaws but shot me a look telling me not to take my eyes of him.

The gray cat coughed for a moment, then replied, "I shouldn't have to justify myself to your three mediocre claws!"

_Claws? Does this cat have bees in his brain or something? He must be insane. Some cat-napper,_ I thought disappointedly. I began to wonder what 'claws' were exactly. Was he a part of a group of rogues like my father had been who had developed some sort of society within them? Were claws just another term for warriors?

"What are these things you call 'claws'?" Gethin inquired hastily, annoyed by the tom's stubbornness.

"What were you born yesterday or something? The claws are the warriors that protect Shadow Band and I'm not about to let you hurt my family!" he snarled, his lips curling back in a malicious smile.

"What is your name?" Gethin asked, his voice was still hard with authority and finalism but I saw a shimmer of doubt in his eyes.

The tom glared at us all for a moment, his eyes drifting around the three of us. I flexed my claws to express my impatience but also my desire to kill that buffoon and find my sister as soon as possible. He narrowed his eyes at Gethin and finally replied: "Beech."

"Take us to your camp, Beech," Gethin mewed in response.

"Make me bone-bag!" Beech hissed.

Stripeclaw had him pinned in two seconds. "Don't think we won't," he growled in the gray tom's ear.

The fear returned to Beech's eyes. "I… I am willing to die to protect my family," he choked out.

"Are you prepared for the torturous, grueling agony we're prepared to put you through?" Gethin asked the younger cat, his emerald eyes blazing with hostility and irritation. "What did you do with the tabby she-cat and the two kittypets?"

Confusion flickered in the tom's blue eyes. "What are you talking about bone-bag?!" he hissed half in fear.

"He doesn't know," I concluded. "He must've just arrived.

"Or he's lying through his teeth," Stripeclaw offered, his teeth still clenched tightly together. He narrowed his eyes menacingly at the gray tom. Beech returned the glare and looked at Gethin. "I swear I never heard about it. Cloud never told me."

"Who is Cloud?" Gethin asked again.

Beech swore under his breath. "My leader," Beech hissed. I saw that he clearly thought we were below his level of comprehension. "He is the alpha and patriarch of our band."

"Take us there," Gethin mewed to him.

Beech narrowed his eyes one last time before shouldering me out of his way. "Come on. It's this way. But if I get my eyes clawed out, it's on you!" he muttered.

The three of us followed him. Stripeclaw and I watched his every move carefully. Neither of us trusted him. He led the way through the barely visible trail in the forest and out of SkyClan territory all together and further and further from the Twolegplace. I wondered if we'd ever be able to find our way back to the fence. Beech glanced over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure we made no move to kill him. He was smart not to put that past us.

He finally slowed when we reached a dried up riverbed. Tunnels burrowed into the banks. I studied the camp clearly trying to seek out the most convenient escape routes. I saw a fluffy white time in the center of the riverbed with a darker ginger tom to his right.

I heard Gethin gasp in a breath. Stripeclaw and I both tore our eyes away from the small camp. Gethin's emerald eyes were wide and his black pupils stretched into slits. He stumbled a little, losing his balance. The two of us rushed to his aid and held him up. We laid him down on the grass softly. "Gethin, what is it?!" Stripeclaw nearly yowled in dismay.

"This cloud… will hang over us all…" Gethin whispered and his emerald eyes shut.

The both of us gasped. Stripeclaw tried to revive him as I began to try and think of herbs to help us. Neither of us noticed that Beech had slunk away into the tall grass with a few other claws. Neither of us noticed until I heard Darkpaw shriek. She wasn't being hurt though. Stripeclaw looked up and stared at a space just above me. I heard a hiss and I felt a jolt of pain shoot up my back to my head. It felt like I was being hit in the head with boulders the pain came so quickly. I felt the warmness of blood trickle down my back. I smelled the salty tang of my body liquid… I saw nothing but blackness…

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A/N: Review?


	10. Part 1: Chapter 9

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 9_

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**I don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter IX- Darkpaw**

**Shadow Band**

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A sandy colored tom with black patches had attacked us first. He'd jumped on Lincoln's back and snapped the old tom's poor neck. That's where all the blood had come from. I had reacted as quickly as I could—attacking the tom but a dark ginger she-cat burst out of the ferns and tackled me to the ground. I heard Jerri screech and a dark ginger tomcat accompanied the others. "Take them back to the camp."

"Even the dead past-one?" the dark she-cat asked.

I curled my lips back in a snarl. "He'd still be alive if it had not been for you!" I challenged.

The red tom looked at me, his amber eyes blazing with hostility. "Silence her," he commanded. I felt a stab of pain the back of my neck and I fell to the ground…

I woke sometime later in a den. There were dirt walls all around me; they seemed to constrict tighter and tighter trying to squeeze the breath out of my lungs and send me to StarClan. Then I heard the very first sign of life. "Hello? Are you finally awake?" Jerri's voice came from the darkness.

"Jerri? Is that you?" I asked sitting up.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I thought you were dead for a while there. Magma hit you pretty hard…" she meowed.

"Magma?" I inquired. Who or what was a 'magma'?

"That's the dark ginger she-cat. This is Shadow Band they said… Red—the second command—said that Cloud would give us a trial later," she mewed.

My mind whirled. Cloud? Red? Trial? What exactly were we convicted of? Shadow Band? This was all so confusing and over-whelming. I stared at her vibrant blue eyes in the darkness. "Stripeclaw… Ravenpaw… Gethin… Lincoln! Oh Jerri I'm so sorry!" I nearly yowled. "I know he was your friend!"

"He was my neighbor in the town," Jerri explained.

"Town?"

"Oh that's the… uh… what do you call it? Twolegplace! That's it! You are from SkyClan right?" she asked.

Her knowledge of the Clan surprised me. "Yeah… How'd you know?" I queried. "Have you, like, spied on the Clan or something?" I chuckled a bit. I felt so foolish talking like that.

I thought I saw the glint of her teeth as she smiled a bit. "You could say that. It's not like I stalk you guys or anything. Sometimes, I sneak out into the forest and climb that large sycamore tree near the gorge and just lounge there and watch. I saw you a couple times I think. It's pretty high up though, so I couldn't be sure. I always watch the kits whenever they're out. They're so cute, even if they look like ants all the way from up there. I also see this one white she-cat. I guessed she was the leader… I saw the badger attack too…"

My gaze dropped to my own paws. "I lost my ear in that battle…" I meowed. I tried to flick my left ear but only felt a bit of my skin move. "Stripeclaw… it wasn't his fault. Even if he would've been there… it would've happened anyway. That white she-cat—the leader—is named Froststar. She saved the Clan. She killed off the cat the would've destroyed us all—she killed this cat named Tigerstorm. He killed her mate and son and then tried to frame her brother. She killed her brother and was exiled for it. Then she met her new family and they loved her. She met my father there—Patrick. Patrick, then, met her best friend, Noonshine, and they fell in love and… my brother and I happened."

She smiled again. "That's so romantic… I always hoped that one day; I'd meet my true love and we'd run off together and live happily ever after. We'd have kits of our own… and live in a nice house with owners to come home and feed us and rub our bellies everyday… Wanting nothing more than to be happy. Of course there'd be things I'd still want—but life would be perfect, even without them… But… that was never meant to be I guess…"

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly. I knew that it was none of my business, but this kittypet confused me. She admired the Clans and she watched them so meticulously but she dreamed about being a pet—a Twoleg play-thing.

"What I mean is, I will not live much longer… I have a disease, my friend—if I may call you that—I will not live any longer than a few more seasons… There's not enough time for love, to have kits or to grow old… Not enough time to find that special cat or those special owners…" she whispered, her voice choking in pain.

"Jerri, I never—please forgive me for asking!" I pleaded, dismayed.

"No. Don't be. You had a right to know," she replied. "By the way… I never caught your name," she mewed

Her question surprised me. She just poured her heart and her life story out to me and she didn't even know my name… She didn't even know that much about me. "Darkpaw," I responded. "And I want to be friends, no matter how little time we have."

I saw her smile again. "Who knows," she said in jest. "Maybe we'll die together; Cloud might see us guilty of something."

I gulped. "I don't like this 'Cloud' cat," I remarked. "He sounds… creepy. I don't look forward to meeting him."

"I'm not too anxious to get in his company either," Jerri concurred.

"Ravenpaw and the others will come to save us. I know they will. They won't give up. No matter what," I promised her. They were our only hope.

"Or they'll get captured too," Jerri muttered.

I wondered if this malady-stricken she-cat could see the future. At that very moment, stumbling paw-steps came thundering down into the tunnel. "Cloud will be with you shortly," a harsh voice snarled.

Someone hissed. Stripeclaw's scent whirled around me as he stepped on my right forepaw. I yowled in pain. "Watch where you're putting your paws you big lump!" I snarled.

"Darkpaw?!" his voice asked. He sounded half excited, half shocked. He backed up into Jerri and she hissed.

"What it!"

"Sorry!" Stripeclaw hissed in his defense. He lain down and put his head on his paws. Sunlight finally began to slant in through the den opening and I saw Jerri sitting in the very back just a cat-length away from myself. Stripeclaw was just across from me only a few mouse-lengths from my open space. Gethin's and Ravenpaw's limp bodies lay at the den entrance.

I gasped. "Ravenpaw! Gethin!" I yowled and rushed over to them.

"They're just unconscious, I checked," Stripeclaw assured me. "They said Cloud would look at them."

Fury welled up inside me. Cloud! Cloud! Everyone talked about Cloud and I didn't even know who in the name of StarClan he was! My brother was unconscious—possibly close to death—and all they cared about was that stupid, moronic, idiotic Cloud! "Would you shut your muzzle about Cloud already?!" I snarled. "Just shut. Up!"

Stripeclaw stared at me with wide, bewildered eyes. "I was just trying to help," he muttered.

I softened. "I know—I know," I meowed, calming down. "I'm just so worried and everyone says Cloud's going to come and he never gets here and talking about this crazy tom who is keeping us prisoner in this StarClan-forsaken tunnel."

Stripeclaw looked at his paws. "Before Gethin sort of… fainted… he like said this omen thing which really confused me since he doesn't believe in anything like StarClan or the Tribe of Endless whatever you call it."

My ears pricked up in interest. "What did he say to you?"

"He said… 'This cloud will hang over us all' or something like that," Stripeclaw returned.

I looked down at Gethin's sandy-colored body. The long scar that stretched from his shoulder blade to his tail shone in the sunlight. It was just his bright pink skin in a long claw mark down his body. Fur never grew back there but it didn't take anything away from his stunning emerald eyes. Even if he did get all gray-furred, his eyes were luring.

"Cloud will see you now," the same harsh voice informed us. "Come out."

I looked over my shoulder at my companions and grabbed my brother's scruff and drug him out of the den and into the dried up riverbed. I dropped him carefully and looked back to see Stripeclaw dragging Gethin's limp body out. Jerri's head had stopped bleeding but dried blood crusted the back of her head near the wound and down her neck. I winced at the sight. I still didn't know who had attacked her…

A longhaired white tomcat emerged from tunnel a further ways down. The entrance to this tunnel was larger than the others. A curtain of lichen hung at the mouth shielding the inside. Magma emerged behind him and the two of them trotted over to him. The dark brown tom Jerri had called Red was already there. He had been the cat who had been guarding us.

"WE found them on the outskirts of the territory near the Twolegplace," Red informed the white tom.

The white tom narrowed his eyes. "Why have you come?" he repeated one of the questions Gethin asked Lincoln.

Jerri looked at me. I looked at Stripeclaw.

Stripeclaw looked at him. "My companions and I were just passing through. We were trying to find a way under the fence and into the Twolegplace to get to the mountains on the other side. We meant no harm to you or your band."

"What about the white she-cat and old tom?" Cloud asked him, his piecing blue eyes stern with power and hatred.

"We simply met them along the way. We found the white she-cat unconscious in the woods, bleeding from a wound in the head. I found the old tom while hunting a crow. He helped me catch it. What have you done with him?" Stripeclaw replied.

"He is dead," Cloud answered him bluntly. "He was too old to live on."

"Is that how you treat your elders?!" I snapped at him. "Those cats have served our bands or our Clans! Even old kittypets serve a purpose. If it were not for them we wouldn't be here! Most risked their lives for us and you just go off and kill them like they're prey?!"

The words were out of my mouth before I could think. I saw Stripeclaw holding his breath in anxiety. Jerri stared at me wide-eyed and I saw Gethin stirring. Cloud gazed at me. He didn't appear angry or insulted. His face was impassive. I felt no negative energy radiating from him… Who was this cat?

"You're brave, learner," he complemented. "You have a great future ahead of you… I believe that you and your companions are not spies from any other neighboring band just because of the display you've just carried out… You are no doubt from that Clan in the gorge. They are no threat to us since we do not desire their territory—too many trees… I see no threat."

Red growled. "Cloud you cannot be serious!"

"Hold your tongue," Cloud snapped at his submissive. "You know who the alpha is in this band. What have the sniffers reported?" he asked.

"They did well today—two squirrels, a sparrow and a rabbit from the fields yonder," Red replied flicking his tail in that direction. "But do not change the subject."

"I shall do as I like. Now, arrange a patrol of claws to escort them back to the Twolegplace border," he ordered.

Red grumbled and stalked off to one of the tunnels. I saw a few cats that looked my age or younger. They were most likely apprentices too. They stared at us. Gethin was on his paws now and speaking with Stripeclaw in a hushed tone. Ravenpaw was just stirring. I looked down at him.

"Until my beta gets an escort party together, make yourselves at home please," Cloud invited and began to walk away.

"Wait," I called and padded up to him. "Why did you trust me when I talked to you like that?" I asked.

Cloud let out a sigh. "Well… In a way, I don't see you as a threat. You're just a few cats, but I figured you could be spies sent from my adversaries or hunters sent to steal from us, but instead you yowled at me about how I should treat my elders… Your loyalty to that cat that my claws killed astounds me when you barely knew him."

Confusions swept through me. "I'm not sure I understand."  
"I'm not quite sure that you should," Cloud replied. "I find a feeling of security in your misplaced loyalty to your companions, no matter how long you've known them."

"Misplaced?"

"Not all cats are worth it," Cloud remarked and left me standing there.

I watched him go. Cloud was a very peculiar cat but at the same time, wise. I turned around and saw Ravenpaw sitting up.

"Ravenpaw!" I exclaimed and bounded over, burying my nose in his fur. "I'm so glad you're awake! You had me scared to death!"

I heard him chuckle. "Sorry. We tried to save you but we got attacked."

Giggling, I nudged him to his paws and looked back at the apprentices. A longhaired gray tom was watching me, scrutinizing my every move. His leaf-green eyes studied me. I looked back at him and locked eyes with him. I blushed a little and looked away.

"Slash! Keep your paws moving!" a pale gray she-cat hissed at him. "You have work to do!"

Slash looked at her surprised. "Sorry Water! I'll get on it right away!"

_Slash…_ I thought dreamily. I soon snapped out of it. _Get a hold of yourself Darkpaw! He's a part of the enemy and you're going to be leaving in a few minutes!_

I saw Jerri approached Ravenpaw and me slowly. "Darkpaw… I was wondering… Stripeclaw said you were trying to get the mountains on the other side of the Twolegplace… Well… When we get back there… I could escort you through town."

A smile crept onto my lips. "That'd be great. I'm just Stripeclaw and Gethin would agree too."

"Yeah, knowing them they probably would," Ravenpaw joked.

I let out a muffled purr of laughter. "You're right there."

Jerri smiled. "I can't wait."

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A/N: Review?


	11. Part 1: Chapter 10

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 10_

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**I do not own Warriors**

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**Chapter X- Ravenpaw**

**Hints**

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Jerri accompanied us back to our makeshift camp. Lincoln's body had remained with Shadow Band since we didn't have enough time or strength to carry it back. Jerri had been upset with it, but she knew it was best. Cloud promised he'd give the golden aged cat a decent burial.

When we finally returned, all of us were bone-tired. Darkpaw could barely keep on her paws and Gethin looked ready to fall over and die of exhaustion. Jerri agreed to spend the night and take us through the Twolegplace the next morning. Even though I was asleep on my paws, I volunteered to take the first watch just in case any Shadow Band cats came back. Stripeclaw was wary at my request but finally agreed and settled down for a much-needed rest.

I remained awake, gazing out into the forest thinking about SkyClan. Gethin had told someone—most likely Froststar and Faithfulheart… Did Froststar tell the rest of the Clan? What was my mother thinking right now? Was she thinking about Darkpaw and me? Thinking we were cold and alone in the wild with a crazy old mountain cat and a feather-brained warrior? Was she with my father right now and a new litter of kits to replace us?

My heart ached at that thought. I guess she loved us; she just never had the time for us. I knew how Stripeclaw felt—being the son of the leader of the Clan; being torn away from your mother and coming to hate her for bringing you into existence…

I shook the thought away. _Don't think about her. It's too late to turn back now. You'll be better off alone,_ I tried to convince myself. My logical side argued with my desire to be with my mother and the only thing it resulted in was an upset stomach.

Thoughts of slipping off into sleep and speaking with Tigerstorm made my stomach twist and turn. Tigerstorm continued to visit me in my dreams. I began to see a different side of the murderous tyrant everyone else claimed him to be. He said he wanted to be a great warrior and he had the best intentions in mind… So, why did he bring a wolf pack here to destroy SkyClan? Whenever I went to ask him these questions, he would just ignore them. He wanted to train me in his ways—make me a great warrior. Sometimes, the ambition would get to me.

I wanted to be the protector. I wanted to be the warrior everyone looked up too—the warrior everyone thanked for saving their lives. I knew that it was a big responsibility, but I wanted some glory. I wanted to be recognized as a hero.

Glancing over at the sleeping Stripeclaw, I felt a wave of envy was through me. He was the provider, but I vowed that would change soon, once I was able to but the skills Tigerstorm had been teaching me to good use…

Just after moonhigh, Stripeclaw woke to make dirt and agreed to take my place as guard. My paws were numb from so much use just remained at my watch post. My ears still pricked for any signs of danger, I was asleep as soon as my eyes closed…

I awoke in a dark forest. I was used to this place now—the overgrown plant life that had not been controlled to form paths through the vegetation because of lack of use, the woven branches of trees overhead that seemed to encircle the whole forest into a dome to keep out all things light and good, but it didn't keep me out. I guess that meant I wasn't so good.

The ferns parted shortly after my arrival as Tigerstorm's transparent figure slunk into view. His ruffled, matted, blood-caked brown fur looked different. It was slicked to his body by some kind of water—or liquid I should say. I doubted there was any kind of clean, drinkable water here. The blood stains the gaping hole in his throat remained as his pupil-less pale yellow eyes gazed at me.

The worst part about these dreams was you never seemed to get any rest—always working, awake and asleep. Tigerstorm encouraged it. He said that it would make you stronger and your muscles would build up strength, giving you the advantage when it came to endurance. My question was: how can you have endurance if you're bone-tired? Your muscles would do you any good!

"Today, we're practicing a different kind of tactic," he announced. His voice was calm like water but prepared to evaporate into a blazing fire if necessary.

"Is that why you're drenched?" I inquired with mock revere. I didn't want to offend him—especially when it looked like we'd be swimming tonight and I hated water.

Tigerstorm gave me a curt nod. "I was just getting a briefing on how to instruct you. However, I've asked a cat from the four Clans near the lake to come here and help mentor you," he explained.

I was confused. I thought the four Clans lived in a forest but I kept this thought to myself. "She is from a Clan called RiverClan. You'll be getting an expert mentor on the subject."  
All the fake enthusiasm drained from me as I saw my new mentor. She looked sturdy with strong legs. She looked cleaner than most Dark Forest cats and her amber pupil-less eyes glared maliciously at me. She had a white underbelly, chest, muzzle and paws. Her back and tail was covered in thick ginger fur.

"This is the cat you brought me to mentor?!" she snapped at Tigerstorm, her amber eyes flaring into flames.

Tigerstorm's lips curled back in a snarl. "You came here on your own will Mapleshade!" he spat.

_Mapleshade? An evil she-cat?_ I wondered. Most evil cats were toms mainly because they had more time to be warriors since most she-cats had kits. This was just weird and it was freaking me out.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Let's go _dear,_" she sneered at me.

My ears flattened against my head, I followed her. She led me through the overgrown trail as she padded gracefully through it while I spent all my time looking down trying to avoid stepping on thorns or getting my paw twisted in a tendril.

When we finally reached an open space, I heaved a sigh of relief, but what was waiting for me, sent chills up my spine.

Before me was a river—or at least I _thought_ it was a river. The water was a sickening black-color almost like that Twoleg stuff—'oil'. I smelled awful too. The worst part was, didn't seem very deep, about just to my shoulder blades, but it was fast-moving and I knew that if I were to lose my footing, I'd be swept away and possibly never seen again.

"This is where we'll be training," Mapleshade informed me in a reluctant tone. She seemed as unenthusiastic about this pairing as I was. "Ready, dear?" she sneered at me.

"Stop calling me 'dear' and show me how to get in the StarClan-darned water," I hissed at her and stalked up to the rushing stream. _Great, now I'm acting like Stripeclaw!_ I thought angrily.

I felt her burning amber gaze hot on my pelt, but shirked it away. "Show some respect for your elders," she snapped.

"Yeah, respect for the dead," I muttered in response.

I heard her snarl in reply. "Watch your tongue! A lot of cats including mouse-brained apprentices go vanishing off in this dark, lonely place and never return—alive or not."

"Well, why don't you join them?" I hissed glaring at her through the sides of my eyes.'

"I remembered when an apprentice asked me the same thing back at the Clans. I'll tell you exactly what I told her—I'm not going anywhere until I've settled a few scores. I don't know why in the name of all that is evil did Tigerstar sent me out her to mentor SkyClan fluff-brains like yourself! I used to train with true masterminds—cats that could deceive and be truly evil. Cats these days would be horrified to see the evil cats in my days!" she spat.

She wasn't sounding at all like Tigerstorm has—he said he was trying to train me because he understood my feelings of being the son of a medicine cat and he wanted to make me better. Mapleshade was talking like I was a part of an uprising against the Clans… or even worse: StarClan. No, why was I being intimidated by her? A RiverClan she-cat no less! She was just trying to frighten me, and I had news for her—it wasn't going to work.

"Can we just practice already?" I asked, irritated.

Mapleshade narrowed her eyes and waded into the water. I mimicked her, being sure to be careful where I put my paws. The water, if you could call it that, rushed around my fur, drenching me to the bone. Grimacing I turned to face my 'mentor'.

She appeared more at home in the water than on land. Cats don't like water. They're supposed to hate water and hate getting wet. Seeing her enjoying this made me sick.

The stomach-lurching scent of the water nearly made me gag but I refused to show weakness to her. She assessed me with her glinting amber eyes. "Rule number one," she sneered. With one quick swipe of her paw, she knocked my front paws out from underneath me. The fast current swept me down so my head got soaked under the foul water. My hind paws lost their grip on the soil and I went for a ride downstream. I finally was able to grasp a rock with my claws and clung to it for dear life. Gasping for breath, I looked up and saw her looming over me, smirking in amusement. "Never lose focus… or your footing dear," she snickered and got back in the water.

Holding back a hiss, I pulled myself onto my rock and launched at her shoulders. She quickly spun around, her claws digging into the soil of the river and battered my nose with her unsheathed claws. Ducking my head, I ended up butting her in the chest. She tried to keep her footing, but we both fell into the rushing black water.

I kept a grip on her ginger fur as we tumbled downstream in the current. We broke the surface every few second and I gasped for breath. I suspected she didn't need to breathe. Drowning her was out of the question. When the water slowed, I broke away from her. As soon as she came up, I raked my claws along her muzzle.

She hissed in rage and rammed her head into my shoulder knocking me back into the water. I stayed there, my claws digging into the soil desperate to look like I was swept downriver. I opened my eyes, and got a burning sensation run through them, making my head ache. I saw her raise a paw to take a step and darted into her hind leg, knocking her back into the water. My lungs ached for air. As soon as I broke the surface and gasped half a breath, her razor-sharp claws sank into my tail making me yelp.

"Enough!" Tigerstorm's voice yowled over the churning sounds of the river. I scrambled onto the bank, cold and shivering from my dive. Mapleshade slunk out after me. She glared at me from the corner of her eye as we stood side by side. "Well done, Ravenpaw," he praised.

I secretly smirked and shot one at Mapleshade. She hissed in response.

"He's good but he's no fish," she muttered. I didn't know if I should take that as a complement or an insult. I didn't care. "Work on trying not to try and drown my next time, _dear_," she sneered and stalked off into the ferns.

"Well done," Tigerstorm chuckled. "I watched the whole thing from the trees. "You're fighting skills are coming along swimmingly—literally."

"Ravenpaw!" a voice yowled from somewhere in the ferns.

Tigerstorm growled low in his throat as a dark tortoiseshell she-cat padded into the clearing. She too was transparent, but unlike Tigerstorm, who was still stained with the blood of his death, she was beautiful, and clean. Stars clung to her fur and her large, dark amber eyes stared at me in horror. "I knew they were recruiting cats, but I never thought they'd go as far as SkyClan!" she exclaimed.

Confusion washed over me. Who was she? A cat from StarClan sent to retrieve me? Whoever she was, she made Tigerstorm lose his temper.

"Stay out of this, Spottedleaf!" he roared at her.

Mapleshade was back in the clearing in seconds. Her lips curled back in a snarl at the younger she-cat. "Keep your abnormally large muzzle out of our business you fox-hearted, medicine cat!"

Spottedleaf glared at her with hostility in her beautiful amber eyes. "Watch your tongue, Mapleshade! You are dealing with a StarClan cat!" she reminded angrily.

"You star-headed fools are just talk! You would never do anything bad because of your precious warrior code! You weren't a saint Spottedleaf! You know it too! You loved that filthy, mangy kittypet who tried to pass himself off as a warrior! Bluestar had bees in her brain to make him leader! Tigerstar would've been a better choice! Tigerstar would've had control if it weren't for that two-headed swine!" Mapleshade spat.

So many questions ran through my mind. Spottedleaf was a medicine cat? Was she even _from_ SkyClan? Who was this Firestar? What did Mapleshade know? Who was Tigerstar?!

Spottedleaf snarled at her. "Don't you dare speak about Firestar like that!"

Mapleshade hissed in challenge. "Make me kittypet-lover! Break your precious warrior code! See what happens to you!"

Spottedleaf unsheathed her claws, fury blazing in her eyes. Mapleshade had clearly crossed the line. "I'm not afraid to defy the code," she snarled in response.

"Again, more words from the kitty-warrior, _dear._ Try and come up with your own comebacks next time!" Mapleshade snarled.

Spottedleaf crouched, her muscles bunched and ready to spring. For a moment I thought I was going to witness a fight between a StarClan cat and a Dark Forest cat. Before things could get out of hand, a longhaired gray she-cat with scars across her face and a white-and-brown she-cat pelted out of the ferns.  
"Spottedleaf, stop this," the brown-and-white she-cat meowed calmly, moving her tail along Spottedleaf's back smoothing the medicine cat's bristling fur. Spottedleaf rose from her crouch and looked at her paws.

The gray she-cat snarled at Mapleshade. "Your business is done here, Mapleshade! Crawl back into your hole for the next millennium," she hissed.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you, Yellowfang," Mapleshade snapped at the other her, but backed down. Tigerstorm had disappeared when Yellowfang and the other cat had arrived.

"Come Ravenpaw," the brown-and-white she-cat called to me calmly.

Yellowfang curled her lips back in a snarl when I refused to move, so I pelted after the brown-and-white cat.

I followed her and Spottedleaf back through the forest to the spot I woke up in. The brown-and-white she-cat looked at me and touched my shoulder with her tail. Before I could yank away, we began to disintegrate until I couldn't see anyone.

Everything was white. This wasn't your normal white either. The brightness of the color seemed to blind me. Blinking didn't help.

Minutes later, we arrived in a meadow. Flowers sprouted up from the pale green-colored grass. I'd never been here, but I guessed that this was StarClan. Looking around, I noticed I was in almost like a valley. Hills sloped up all around me and in the center of the meadow, a pond lay in the center. I looked around. Yellowfang, Spottedleaf and the brown-and-white she-cat had disappeared.

Slowly, I padded up to the pond. I couldn't tell how deep it was, but the blueness of the water gave me an idea. It appeared this puddle went down forever. Looking into it, I saw five cats. Four were asleep accept for a brown tabby who was watching as the grayness of dawn peeked over the horizon. He stretched his lips in a yawn and blinked his amber eyes sleepily. Stripeclaw.

"I see you found the pool of dreams," a voice commented from behind me.

I whipped around to see Spottedleaf standing a tail-length away from me. Her amber eyes gazed impassively at me. She didn't appear angry or upset—she was locked tight.

"Where am I? Why did you bring me here?" I tried to bewilder her with questions.

Spottedleaf sighed and looked at her paws. She looked back at me and shook her head. "You are in StarClan's hunting grounds. We brought you here because you have a choice, Ravenpaw and you are choosing the wrong path."

"What wrong path?" I hissed. I wasn't angry at her; I was angry at this situation. I was in StarClan and wasn't dead. I'd been visiting the Dark Forest but wasn't dead. I was being lectured by a dead medicine cat that was apparently in love with a cat named Firestar. Apparently, I have a path to take and I took the wrong fork in the road.

Spottedleaf looked over her shoulder. "Should I explain?" she asked no one.

I squinted my eyes trying to see exactly what she was looking at. From a narrow, almost invisible path between a holly bush and a Russian thistle bush, the white-and-brown she-cat emerged. Her amber eyes gazed at me curiously but also appeared control.

"I'll tell him, Spottedleaf," she informed her.

Spottedleaf dipped her head and stepped aside.

The she-cat padded up to me and sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "What is it you want to ask?" she queried, her voice quiet and controlled.

"Who are you? What path are you lunatics talking about?" I asked slowly so she was sure to understand. It was getting tedious to repeat.

The she-cat inhaled deeply and cleared her throat. "My name is Leafstar. I was the first leader of the modern SkyClan. I was mentored in a way by Firestar—ThunderClan's leader."

"ThunderClan?" I asked. "What the heck is ThunderClan?"

"It's one of the four Clans back in the lake territories. SkyClan used to be associated with the Clans when they lived in the forest. Twolegs chased us out of our territory and none of the Clans would share their territory with us. Therefore, we were forced to leave the only life we've ever known and venture into the unknown," she explained.

"That's great and all, but I didn't ask for a history lesson," I muttered.

Leafstar was trying to remain calm, but I knew I was trying her patience. Something about the power radiating from her told me not to push my luck. It appeared that I was already in a badger-load of trouble.

"Moving on," he meowed, her voice tight with the strain of keeping it controlled. "You ask, what path we are talking about. It is the path of good and evil."

_How melodramatic,_ I thought.

"You have chosen to train with the Dark Forest, therefore, you have become their pawn. They do not care about you or any other live cat they are lying to. They are manipulative and sadistic. They care about no one but themselves and their unsettled scores," Leafstar explained to me.

I remembered what Mapleshade said about settling some things. Tigerstorm seemed to be trying to shelter me from what was really going on down there. Mapleshade was a part of a completely different confederation—or was she? What was Tigerstorm planning exactly? Was he training other SkyClan cats? Did her really care just about me?

"So what am I supposed to do? I don't choose when I go there, I just wake up there," I muttered unhappily. I thought about how tired I'd be the next day.

"Make them understand you don't want this anymore," Leafstar mewed.

"What will they do to me?"

"It depends. If they try to kill you, we'll stop them," she replied.

I opened my mouth to say another word, but the vision was already fading as I slipped back into what I hoped was reality.

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A/N: Review?


	12. Part 1: Chapter 11

_Loners - Part 1: Chapter 11  
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**I don't own Warriors.**_  
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**Chapter XI- Stripeclaw**

**Monsters**

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As the grayness of dawn began to just peek over the horizon, I yawned. I was still exhausted from the previous day's events and I was nowhere near ready for a day of travel, but we couldn't afford to waste any more time here. We had to at least get halfway through the Twolegplace. With Jerri as our guide, it should've been a breeze.

Rising to my paws I stretched quickly before padding over to Gethin. The older tomcat lay asleep, with his tail curled up and around his nose. I prodded him in the side with my paws. His emerald green eyes flickered open and looked up at me. "Stripeclaw?" he asked and then looked around. He sighed and rose to his paws.

"We should get moving," I commented watching the sun rise. Different shades of pink, purple, red, orange and yellow were splattered carelessly across the sky making a surprisingly appealing picture.

Gethin looked at the others who were still asleep. "Let them rest. They're only apprentices," he meowed.

Letting out a sigh, I flicked my tail in annoyance. "I know," I muttered. "I just hate being so close to the camp. My paws are itching to travel and get as far away from those… _cats_ as soon as possible."

Gethin looked at his paws too and then up to the green canopy of leaves above. "I suppose I know your feeling," he commented and shuffled his paws nervously.

I felt a strange mood radiate from him. It was a mood I don't think I've ever encountered before. I wondered if he was going to tell me his story. Froststar was the only one who knew—not even his mate Faithfulheart knew all the secrets to his past.

"Can you keep a secret Stripeclaw?" he asked; his voice was barely above a whisper.

The first thing that came to my mind was to say no. I was capable of keeping a secret if lives depended upon it, but I hated being the one to know everything. I hated knowing that someone was left out in a way. Secrets were usually none of my business—especially gossip.

"Depends; what kind of secret?" I queried hesitantly.

"My secret," he whispered again. I'd never seen him so quiet and so reserved.

I gulped. The intensity of what was really happening set it. Gethin was going to tell me this 'secret' whether I liked it or not. Also, this was a clearly, personal, deep story which meant he must've trusted me. I wasn't sure at that moment what to expect. "Go ahead," I murmured.

Gethin looked back up at the sunlight. "When I was a young cat, about Ravenpaw's age… I was given a gift by our gods. It was the gift of stealth… Their plan was that I use this gift to go to our rival Tribe and steal their… princess I guess. Well, I did that. Our rival Tribe declared war on us. Our gods were goading us to war… Eventually, my leader—Absaroke—just came out and said that he was tired of this war. He said that it was my fault. I brought bad fortune onto my Tribe… So… they threw me out," he meowed.

I listened, fascinated. I had no idea that Gethin had this amazing power that no one knew about. I guess there could be other gods that StarClan though StarClan were our ancestors.

"During that time," he continued. "I had a mate. She looked nearly identical to your mother."

_Too much information!_ I thought making a disgusted face.

Gethin chuckled but continued. "Her name was Seneca. I was in love with her… When the Tribe kicked me out, the gods became angry that they banished 'the gifted one'. They were so angry, they destroyed the Tribe. They killed many cats and scattered the rest… Seneca was one of the cats who were killed… I returned shortly after my Tribe had been destroyed… I remember just sitting there in the rubble… thinking… That was the first time I cried. I blamed myself for being afraid… I promised myself and my Seneca that I'd be brave for her. I promised her that I'd never be scared again… If I would've stood up to Absaroke… she might've survived…

"I went to the Pool of Sleeping Stars after that… I guess it's equivalent to your Whispering Cave… The gods came to me and they told me why they did it… They said that they were fools… I said that the gods were murderers. I refused to follow them… So they sent a wolf pack to kill me. As you can see, they didn't succeed. I killed their alpha and Froststar took care of the rest…

"When I fell in love with Faithfulheart, I didn't know how Seneca would react… but she said she'd always want me to be happy… And now I couldn't be more upset. I'm scared to face my past," he meowed.

I listened carefully. "You once told me that the past can hurt, but you can either run from it, or learn from it. Which is it gonna be, Gethin?" I asked, remembering our past conversation on Skyrock.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye, his eyes filled with amusement. He let out a low chuckle. "You remember that? Great StarClan, I didn't think you were listening!"

I smirked. "Answer the question, old-timer," I purred in laughter.

Gethin rolled his eyes. "What the heck, I'll face it with you," he mewed.

I smiled and looked back at the sunrise. I heard a yawn and glanced over my shoulder to see Ravenpaw sitting up. He started to groom his jet-black fur messily. I padded over and joined him. It had been a long time since I'd shared tongues with anyone, but Ravenpaw seemed to be thankful for the assistance.

With my coat clean and shiny, I prodded Jerri in the side with my paw. "Wake up," I whispered.

The snow-white she-cat blinked open her blue eyes and gazed up at me. She seemed confused for a moment, and then remembered. "Oh! Sorry Stripeclaw!" she meowed hastily and was on her paws in a flash.

"You're fine," I soothed and glanced over at Darkpaw who was just waking. "Okay, everyone, let's get a move on," I yowled to my companions.

Jerri led us to the hole in the fence. Ravenpaw and I had to move the boulder out of the way so we could fit under it. I had to move it back since I was the last one out. After I squeezed under the fence, I had to roll the boulder back down with my paw so the hole would be covered incase Shadow Band cats were following us. Hopefully they'd be as mouse-brained as we had been at first.

We followed Jerri through a narrow corridor she called an 'alley' and across a small Thunderpath with no monsters on it. The Twolegplace was extremely quiet. I wondered why. Usually it was bustling with Twolegs driving their monsters to unknown places at this time. I looked around as we walked down the alley at the walls that surrounded me. There were blocks piled up on each other. Jerri called them 'bricks'. Some bricks were falling out of the fortifications on each side.

Claustrophobia began to creep over me. The walls seemed to constrict around me as if it were trying to squeeze the life out of me. I began to feel too warm for my own comfort as I looked around at the massive walls that seemed to go on forever.

I was relieved when we reached the end of the alley. Another Thunderpath lay ahead. Jerri waited until a Twoleg monster zoomed past before darting across the Thunderpath. Ravenpaw and Darkpaw followed her closely. Gethin and I waited as another monster passed before crossing ourselves.

Jerri led the way down into a gully. Water flowed in a small trickling stream at the bottom. Getting our paws wet wasn't the least of our worries. The water smelled awful. The white kittypet led us into a tunnel that was Twoleg-made. She said it was called a 'pipe'. After traveling for about half a sun-shift, Jerri led us out of the ditch and we traveled through more alleys.

I was relieved when we reached an open field. "I can take you as far as the fields near that farm house, but that's as far as I go," she informed us.

"Thank you for your help," I replied. "If it were not for you, we'd be lost by now."

Gethin nodded in agreement while Ravenpaw studied our new surroundings. Darkpaw stared at a Monarch butterfly as it passed.

Jerri dipped her head. "It's been quite an adventure. I might not live much longer, but I'm glad I've had at least one adventure… or at least helped another along."

I nodded and looked again at my companions. Ravenpaw was still looking around at the landscape. I decided to do the same. Only then did I realize how vulnerable we were. The grass was about as high as our heads, but some stalks seemed to tower over us. A single Chestnut tree stood in what looked like the center of the field. Just to the west about one fourth of a sky-length away, were two Thunderpaths. In between the two was a small stretch of grass that looked like another gully. I just hoped it didn't have that horrible smelling water in it.

Looking back at Jerri, I saw she was started to take off toward the two Thunderpaths with Darkpaw following her like a kit. "Wait!" Ravenpaw hissed to his sister and the kittypet.

They both froze at his voice.

"Do you smell that?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

Simultaneously, we all let our mouths gape a little to expose our scent glands. Sure enough, there was an unfamiliar stench in the air. It wasn't badger or fox—definitely cat. It didn't smell like Shadow Band.

"Must be a rogue," I whispered to the other.

"Rogues," Gethin agreed, his green eyes shifting around the landscape. "Where could they be—"

As if in answer to his question, a black tomcat lunged from the trees. His light amber eyes blazed with rage. He latched onto Gethin's back and clawed at the older tom's fur.

I unsheathed my claws and joined the fight, grabbing the tom but the scruff and pulling him off Gethin. Gethin whipped around and raked his claws across the black tom's nose. The black tom hissed in rage and battered Gethin in the face with his hind paws. He thrashed out of my grip and whipped around to face me. Before I could move, he sliced open the skin on my shoulder with his sharp claws and darted toward Gethin. Great StarClan, this cat was fast!

Ravenpaw and Darkpaw were both fighting a small ginger tomcat that appeared to have half his tale missing. Jerri was grappling with a cream-colored she-cat.

I lunged again for the black cat that had just clawed open Gethin's scar from a past wolf attack. I was able to pin the black cat down. I put a paw on his throat but he quickly surprised me with a belly-rake. I leaped back, blood trickling from the open wound in my stomach. I hissed in rage at the black tom.

Gethin barreled the black tom over and grabbed his neck in his jaws. I watched as Gethin prepared to break his neck.

The cream-colored she-cat fighting Jerri froze. "Wait! Please stop! Don't kill him!" she begged, rushing forward to her companion.

Gethin stared at her with his emerald green eyes for a moment, then dropped the black tomcat.

The tom fell to the ground and hissed in fury at Gethin. "I should've killed you when I had the chance, you old bone-bag!" he snarled.

"Edward, shut up!" the she-cat hissed. "You should know better! What would've happened if I had lost you? Who would help me raise Puff?"

Edward looked down. "Sorry," he whispered and licked her cheek tenderly.

As the cream she-cat fussed over her almost-dead mate, I looked over at Darkpaw and Ravenpaw who were eyeing the ginger tom suspiciously.

"Why did you come here?" I asked, glaring at Edward.

"You were going to steal our territory! I have a mate and a kit to raise, do you think I would sit by with my brother and let you steal the land that is rightfully ours?" Edward hissed.

I had to roll my eyes. Was it just me or were all cats in this Twolegplace stupid? Did us SkyClan cats look stupid to them? "We weren't trying to steal your territory, you mouse-brain!" I snapped. "We were just passing through to get to the other side of the Thunderpath!"

The cream-colored she-cat glared at her mate. "I told you they were probably just passing through! They had a house cat with them for yowling out loud!"

Edward muttered something under his breath. "Fine, but get a move on. Don't overstay your welcome."

As the three cats turn to leave, I heard Darkpaw whisper to Jerri, "what welcome?" The two she-cats giggled and I led the way off to the Thunderpaths. It felt almost nice to the be the leader of our motley crew again.

I stopped just as we neared the Thunderpath. Darkpaw came up beside me and spotted and hare in the grass just up ahead. She gave me a look telling me to shut up and leave this to her. I wasn't going to stop her.

Darkpaw crouched low and crept silently through the tall grass toward the hare. It didn't see her until she was just a tail-length away…

The hare bolted and Darkpaw went after it. They were headed straight for the Thunderpath! "Darkpaw!" I yowled and pelted after her. Jerri matched my pace. I heard the roar of a Twoleg monster. I skidded to a halt as we reached the Thunderpath. The hare and scampered onto the other side of the first Thunderpath and down into the gully. Darkpaw stood, frozen on the Thunderpath, her amber eyes wide in fear as the abnormally large monster bore down on her.

Jerri kept going. "JERRI! DARKPAW MOVE!" I caterwauled. I nearly launched myself onto the Thunderpath, but Gethin grasped my scruff in his jaws just as Jerri shoved Darkpaw out of the way and onto the other side.

"DARKPAW!" Ravenpaw yowled and pelted across the Thunderpath to his sister.

Gethin ran after him slower, while I stared at Jerri's body. Her blue eyes were closed and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth onto the blacktop. Her body looked mangled and crushed under the weight of the monster. Gethin joined me once he was sure Darkpaw was okay. He said something about her being okay and just shaken up, but it went in one ear and out the other. Another cat dead on my watch.

"It should have been me," was all I could whisper.

"No, it shouldn't have," Gethin meowed. "She was dying, Stripeclaw. She was going to die in a few moons anyway."

"At least she'd have those few moons to live!" I snarled.

Gethin didn't flinch at my words. "Stripeclaw," he mewed gently. "She wanted to have an adventure. Dying is one of the greatest adventures a cat could have. They don't truly know what's in store for them in life after death, if you believe in that sort of thing."

Sighing, I padded off the Thunderpath and over to Darkpaw. "'You all right?" I asked her.

Darkpaw nodded and looked at me with her trusting amber eyes. "Jerri?"

I looked away. "No."

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A/N: Review?


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